The Indianapolis Colts never knew they would draft a kicker they would convert into a successful punter who would later retire and become the biggest voice in sports media.
Pat McAfee is now officially in a class of his own when it comes to today’s new-age sports media landscape.
The former Indianapolis Colts punter who was selected in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL Draft, began a podcast after his long NFL career and has changed the way sports media is looked at, consumed and set the stage for shows like New Heights with the Kelce brothers and an an informal, funny yet informative, behind-the-scenes glimpse into everything NFL and college football.
But it seems like McAfee — in a media landscape where any little slip can get someone cancelled — has all of the power and can’t be controlled no matter what.
This was evident when he recently called out one of the top executives by name publicly, Pat McAfee didn’t hold back when voicing his displeasure with top ESPN exec Norby Williamson publicly, who has apparently been less than thrilled about the content he’s bringing to the airwaves of the World Wide Leader and was called out by the hottest name in sports media for apparently leaking misleading ratings information.
McAfee has a unique contract He works as a talent for College GameDay and a weekly guest on First Take, but his Pat McAfee Show airs on ESPN through a separate licensing agreement. That has led to some clashes with management, including most notably Norby Williamson. .
McAfee also stood by NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers after Rodgers alluded to Jimmy Kimmel being connected with child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein earlier this year. McAfee’s arrival has been an abrupt departure from the buttoned-up image president Jimmy Pitaro tried to cultivate since taking over in 2017.
Stephen A. Smith chimed in on the addition of McAfee at ESPN on a recent episode of “Bussin with the Boys” featuring former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan.
“I love Pat McAfee, love him to death. I love his swag; I love the fact that he’s an honest brother. He don’t give a s*** … That’s my kind of dude,” Smith said. “That works for me.”
Former Indianapolis Colts Punter Pat McAfee Admitted He Lied To GM Bill Polian Ahead Of NFL Draft & It Backfired Immediately
Long before his days as the biggest icon in sports media, McAfee was a kicker coming out of West Virginia University trying to make his mark in the NFL .
McAfee joined the set of NFL Network on Saturday and revealed a hilarious story about his entrance into the NFL. As a kicker for the Mountaineers, he never had to be a holder as many punters do at the professional level.
But NFL teams wanted him to be a punter, so he just blatantly lied when former Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian asked about his experience as a holder ahead of the 2009 NFL Draft.
“I was a kicker in college, so I obviously couldn’t hold for myself,” Pat McAfee said. “But a lot of people though, well a couple people thought I was going to be a punter in the NFL, and if you’re a punter you have to hold for the kicker.”
“So Bill Polian asked me literally in the draft leadup, ‘Hey, you’ve held before? You’ve practiced before because you knew that there was a chance you were going to have to hold?’” McAfee said. “I said, ‘Absolutely, I used to do it like three days a week in practice in college and everything like that.’ I’d never done it once in my life.”
Now Pat McAfee enters some dicey territory. He had convinced at least one key NFL decision-maker that he was perfectly capable of holding.
Things unfolded hilariously from there, with McAfee eventually earning a forced crash course once the Indianapolis Colts gave him a shot and selected him in the 7th round of the NFL Draft.
“Then I get drafted to hold for Adam Vinatieri, the greatest of all time,” McAfee said. “So Adam Vinatieri sent me to a holding camp in North Carolina to learn how to hold, that’s real deal. That first training camp he threw me no less than 500 balls throughout the day. He’d come to my dorm room at night to throw me balls to make sure I could do it.
“Because he had a Hall of Fame career already done and established and some lying punk wasn’t going to ruin all that. And he made me better. He made me great.”
Pat McAfee turned into a pretty darned good punter in the league, with a career average of 46.4 yards and a season best of 49.3 yards. He lasted eight years with the Colts.