Pat McAfee had to battle an illness during ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday. The former NFL punter admitted he was dealing with a suspected case of food poisoning during Saturday’s telecast. McAfee didn’t appear to be sick as he was jumping around and showing his sense of humor during a segment where a student missed a field goal attempt.
Kirk Herbstreit said that McAfee had thrown up off-camera after the field goal segment. They both joked that McAfee got sick after watching the student miss the field goal. “He hadn’t been feeling well all morning, and now we understand why. Just vomit flew everywhere,” Herbstreit said.
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“Coach (Mike) Elko showed up there earlier, I almost vomited. I got a little food poisoning. I think I ate something spoiled. But as soon as I saw that kid kick that football, I was so disgusted,” McAfee added. McAfee, 36, joined ESPN as an analyst for college football in 2019. He returned to the network last year to join College Gameday as a full-time analyst. And earlier this year, ESPN announced that The Pat McAfee Show would move its platforms on a multi-year deal. It was reported the contract McAfee signed with ESPN is worth $120 million.
“Pat is a proven talent,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the statement. “He and his team have built The Pat McAfee Show into one of the most engaging programs in sports and all of media. It’s a destination for athlete interviews and breaking news, and the centerpiece of a growing community of sports fans. We’re honored to bring Pat and the show to ESPN through a multifaceted, multiplatform approach.”
“We are extremely honored that ESPN is blessing us with this opportunity to be a part of the next chapter of the ESPN family,” McAfee said in the statement. “We do not take that lightly and are going to work hard to make sure this is a success. All parties involved agree the time has come for a bunch of sports stooges in a Thunderdome in Indiana to sprinkle in some fun and celebration of sport as well.” McAfee added: “We ain’t changing a damn thing,” McAfee said. “Every other word is good to go. … We won’t be doing that because it’s the middle of the day, but everything else will be good.”
