Pat McAfee says his College GameDay stop in Salt Lake City left him with the wrong kind of memories.
The ESPN host took issue Monday with a University of Utah social media post that he said crossed a line before Saturday’s show on campus. On his program, McAfee said, "“I’ve enjoyed this college football season, did not enjoy the University of Utah. Did not enjoy it," McAfee said.
He pointed directly to an Instagram post from the university that asked students to do impressions of him. One response called him “corny,” and another described him as “creepy.” McAfee said the university should not have amplified that kind of reaction while he was preparing to appear there.
“You know why I didn't like it? Right before I went out there, I saw the University of Utah’s Instagram page, the university’s, they asked a kid, ‘Hey, can you do an impression of Pat McAfee?
One kid goes, ‘Ah, he’s corny,’ and another kid calls me ‘creepy.' OK, if these kids had done this on their own blogs, all good.
Everybody’s taking shots at me for everything. I get it. ...
The university puts that out as I’m about to go do an infomercial for the place?”
McAfee said he couldn’t understand why the school would promote material that made him the target of jokes. “Do we think we should, be amplifying reasons why people hate my guts as a university? I don't know.”
He also brought up the kicker featured in the show’s “Kicking Is Easy” segment and said he wasn’t thrilled with the prize money on offer.
“And then, obviously, the kicker goes, 'only $1 million, only $1 million.' Alright, I hate this place.”
Still, McAfee made clear he respects what Utah has built on the field.
“They got a good football team though, they got a good football team, but I have never been more uncomfortable.”
He later joked that he’ll have COVID when the show returns to Salt Lake City.
Utah responded with an apology, saying the intent was supposed to be playful but that the school missed the mark. In its statement, the university said staff members are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts and that it takes full accountability for the decision.
“Our goal during the visit was to create lighthearted engagement regarding Pat being back on campus, but we missed the mark. University staff are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts, and we take full accountability for that decision.”
The university also said officials reached out to McAfee to thank him for the visit and apologized for making him feel unsafe and unwelcome.
College GameDay’s next stop is Bloomington on Saturday, October 31, when No. 4 Indiana hosts Minnesota in a Big Ten matchup.
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