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“Hard decisions have to get made, and we don’t like any of them,” he said.
Key points
- J.J. Watt called out Pat McAfee’s reported high salary negotiations amid ESPN layoffs: “Is everybody fired to pay you?”
- McAfee responded by sympathizing with ESPN colleagues who lost their jobs: “I hate this.”
- The broadcaster shared his perspective: “Hard decisions have to get made, and we don’t like any of them.”
Pat McAfee has heard those rumors about ESPN’s budget, and he wants to set the record straight.
After sports broadcasters like ESPN’s Karl Ravech and Ryan Clark lost their jobs in a new round of layoffs from the network’s parent company Disney, some online circles began to criticize the host of The Pat McAfee Show, who is reportedly negotiating a $60-million-per year contract with the network.
Fellow broadcaster J.J. Watt called out McAfee’s reported payday amid the layoffs during a conversation on Tuesday’s ep of The Pat McAfee Show.
“Did they keep anybody, or is everybody fired to pay you? I’m trying to figure it out,” Watt said.
McAfee then responded to the speculation that his salary is affecting other ESPN personalities.
“That is not funny. We do not like that,” McAfee said. “We do not appreciate that. That is the narrative, and I am certainly taking it on the shins. The boys and I are very proud of the work that we have done.”
McAfee sympathized with his ESPN colleagues who were laid off. “We hate any time this happens. Obviously, this is terrible,” he said. “We don’t like that. But we are very honored that we are still partnering with ESPN and Disney for the good of sport for the future, and I hate this.”
McAfee went on to explain his lack of familiarity with layoffs, as he didn’t witness similar job losses while playing for the Indianapolis Colts. “It feels like this happens in corporations a lot,” he said. “[We’re] kinda getting baptized into this. NFL teams don’t really do this, so we’re not really in there.”
The commentator went on to recall how a similar narrative about his salary emerged when ESPN cut several on-air jobs in a round of layoffs in 2023 shortly after he moved the show to the network following six years on other platforms. “The first time we licensed the show through ESPN, one of these happened, we got blamed for it all,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Blame us. Okay. Okay. Thank you, I feel like you don’t fully understand budgets and where things are coming from, but I do appreciate that.’”
McAfee said that he recognizes why this negative narrative has emerged again. “This time we’re getting blamed as well, which I guess I can understand,” he said. “I mean, there’s billions and billions of dollars in these companies, and hard decisions have to get made, and we don’t like any of them, and we hope we’re an asset to the company going forward, [we] hope we continue to be an asset to the company, and an asset to sport as a whole — but hate all of it.”
The broadcaster went on to shout out a couple of his fallen comrades. “We learned about Ryan yesterday, obviously, I think everybody did. Ryan’s good to us,” he said. “Ryan Clark [has] obviously been around ESPN a long time. Karl Ravage today, friend of the program. It’s not a fun — that’s not fun for sports as a whole.”
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However, he also opined that the people affected by ESPN layoffs may have more opportunities to find similar work elsewhere. “I do feel like, from my understanding, a lot of places are getting into the sports world in a big way, so hopefully there are softer landings for people than there ever has been in the past,” he said. “But yeah, it’s crazy time, in the biz, honestly, J.J. And thanks for just reading the internet and just assuming they’re right.”
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
