Pat McAfee has received an official apology from the University of Utah. McAfee traveled to Salt Lake City over the weekend for “College GameDay” and did not have a good time. On his show Monday afternoon McAfee described a video that showed Utah students calling him “corny” and “creepy.” He explained that the University posting the video made him uncomfortable and twice brought up Charlie Kirk.
After McAfee talked about how he felt on his show Monday, the University of Utah reached out to apologize to the ESPN personality. The university posted a statement on social media saying they were grateful for the opportunity to host McAfee and “College GameDay” and were attempting, “lighthearted engagement.”
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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
University officials have reached out to Pat to express appreciation and regret. We sincerely apologize for creating any perception that Pat was unsafe or unwelcome on our campus. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Pat and the entire GameDay crew are always welcome at the University of Utah and we deeply appreciate the opportunity ESPN provides to showcase our university and community.
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ESPN also released a statement about McAfee’s concerns to The Athletic:
An ESPN spokesperson said Monday: “The safety and security of our on-air team, crew and fans is paramount at “College GameDay.” We are committed to ensuring a safe environment, and given the very real threats that members of our team face, we take issues involving their safety seriously. We support Pat and recognize the very real and valid concerns he has around safety and security.”
McAfee and “College GameDay” will travel to Bloomington, Indiana this weekend.
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