Tayyaba
Pat McAfee, a former NFL player and current ESPN analyst, has been the subject of much speculation and criticism following ESPN’s recent layoffs. Some viewers have accused McAfee of being responsible for the layoffs, due to his recent contract with the network. However, McAfee has taken to Twitter to deny these accusations and clarify that he had no involvement in these “mass exits”.
How did Pat McAfee respond to the backlash?
After an insane amount of people exiting ESPN, McAfee, an ex-NFL punter-turned-sports-media-personality, tweeted: “I did a lot of reflecting about our show’s journey while I was getting murdered on the internet today (hell yeah).. all roads lead back to how honored I am to be the leader of such a talented group and how lucky I am to be a part of this team (a few missing from pics and a couple I couldn’t tag)…[referencing attached photos] We do our thing. We enjoy ourselves. And we never blink… Basement, box truck, world stoppage.. you name it.. the show rolls on.” Further, he goes on to say that he’s super excited to be joining ESPN and plans to never have the mass layoffs happen again. In the end, he says he will continue to be “thankful for all of the opportunities that have been earned thru a lot of hard work and commitment from the group of dudes I get to call coworkers.” Social media users have received his statements quite well for the most part.
“We’re very pumped to be joining ESPN and our goal is that “Mass exits” are never a thing again.. we hope to help that.. obviously that’s a lofty goal but, that’s how I truly look at life… I wish we could’ve worked alongside a lot of the folks that got released today. Some absolute legends, that we all respect, in the sports media world were trending today for losing jobs. That sucks.. no matter how you slice it.”
Pat McAfee on Twitter
Who was fired at ESPN in this “mass exit”?
ESPN laid off about 20 on-air personalities, including some of its most popular and well-known faces. Among those affected were College GameDay analysts David Pollack, Jalen Rose, and Jordan Cornette. Other analysts and reporters who were let go included Suzy Kolber, Max Kellerman, Jeff Van Gundy, Keyshawn Johnson, Matt Hasselbeck, Chris Chelios, Steve Young, Rob Ninkovich, Neil Everett, Ashley Brewer, Joon Lee, LaPhonso Ellis, Todd McShay, and Jason Fitz.
The layoffs were part of a broader cost-cutting effort by ESPN, which has been facing declining viewership and revenue in recent years. The network has also been hit by the rise of streaming services, which have made it easier for fans to watch sports without cable.