As the Indiana Pacers were trying to close out Game 4 against the New York Knicks with a victory to arrive on the precipice of winning the Eastern Conference and earning a spot in the NBA Finals, a familiar voice was booming through the stands at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Former NFL punter and current talk show host Pat McAfee had the microphone and delivered a live wrestling-style promo in front of the crowd, calling out various celebrities rooting for the Knicks such as Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet. McAfee closed out his speech by shouting, “Let’s send these sons of b*****s back to New York with their ears ringing!,” eliciting a zealous reaction from the crowd.
On Wednesday’s edition of Boomer & Gio, WFAN anchor Jerry Recco played audio of McAfee hyping up the crowd and bookended such by emphasizing how there was a feel indicative of wrestling within his discourse. Morning show co-host Gregg Giannotti explained that it is something McAfee is very good at, something that is further substantiated by his role with the company as a commentator on its Raw property.
“Do you think because most people really like Pat McAfee and he’s got all these celebrities on his show – do you think he went up to those guys beforehand and is like, ‘Listen, I’m going to call you sons of b*****s. Just understand I’m doing this for my own brand. I like you guys’?,” Giannotti questioned as it pertained to McAfee. In fact, he surmised that such statements could perturb other people, resulting in co-host Boomer Esiason delivering his opinion as it relates to the situation that unfolded late in the game.
“It’s sports,” Esiason said. “You get competitive and you got fans of each team. I didn’t have a problem with any of it. I thought it was actually quite funny.”
Earlier in the day, McAfee hosted a live edition of his show outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse featuring special guests such as Shams Charania and Peter Schrager. McAfee has hosted various episodes of The Pat McAfee Show on the road, including from Super Bowl LIV in New Orleans, La., the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Ind. and various college campuses around the country. In addition to working on his program, which operates under a licensing agreement with ESPN, McAfee has also served as an analyst on College GameDay for the last two seasons.
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