Pat McAfee Rips NFL ‘Middle Management,’ Says Show Won’t Be at Green Bay Draft

Pat McAfee says he will not be taking his show on the road for the NFL Draft after being treated with what he says was insufficient respect by “middle managers” at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week. 

Speaking on his eponymous show—which is simulcast on YouTube and ESPN—on Monday, McAfee said that the show will not be making the voyage to Green Bay for the draft, instead broadcasting from its “Thunderdome” headquarters in Indianapolis. 

“The NFL’s making it very easy for us to do stuff,” McAfee began, speaking sarcastically. “It’s really very kind of them. It’s very cool. I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to showcase your shit.” 

Cohost A.J. Hawk chimed in, asking, “No red tape? No hoops to jump through?”

“No, middle management’s doing exactly what they don’t normally do. They’re making it easy. It’s awesome. Those people matter for sure. You guys are really good at your jobs! Thank God they’re there. Without them, could you imagine? Nobody would watch the NFL if it wasn’t for these people being there.”

McAfee proceeded to play a slideshow of him measuring out different locations around Lucas Oil Stadium to determine whether there was enough space for his show’s set, seemingly implying that the logistics of where his team would broadcast from were not sufficiently addressed beforehand.  

He continued to deadpan to the middle managers who’d drawn his ire. “We were invited by you guys to do this—by people above you. Thank you so much for making everything so easy.” 

McAfee has never been one to let perceived disrespect quietly slide by, and the revenge for these apparent inconveniences is that the former Colts punter and his crew will do their NFL Draft show remotely instead of on-site. 

McAfee’s show was live from the draft in Detroit last year. There would’ve been natural excitement for it to be in Green Bay because of its general resonance with football fans, compounded with the fact that Hawk is the Packers’ all-time leading tackler. 

While McAfee was chiding the league’s middle managers, it’s relevant to note that he’s generally had a good relationship with the league over the years. This past season, he joined NFL Network’s Sunday GameDay Morning pregame show weekly as an analyst beginning in late September.