ESPN New York host Michael Kay says Pat McAfee faces far too much criticism. Furthermore, Kay argues critics have no right to judge how McAfee handles that criticism.
What We Know: Kay made the comments Thursday on The Michael Kay Show. His remarks follow a turbulent week for McAfee. Before College GameDay, a University of Utah Instagram video showed students mocking McAfee as corny and creepy. McAfee later said the clip made him uncomfortable, and the school apologized. Last night, McAfee reacted to the video, explaining that he has struggled to navigate threats made online.
What They Said: (All quotes via The Michael Kay Show):
Michael Kay says critics need to stop being hard on Pat McAfee so much: “People got to let up on this guy [Pat McAfee]. If you don’t like him, fine. You don’t like him. The hatred that he receives for a guy who really has done unbelievable things in this business, and is smart enough that he owns his content too. We’re going to criticize him for being thin-skinned? Maybe he doesn’t like being criticized by people he knows couldn’t do his job.”
Michael Kay says successful people in media should read what’s written about them: “People that say he’s [Pat McAfee] thin-skinned and that he reads everything about him. You’re all full of it. I’m speaking from experience. I laugh when people in my business say, “Well, why do you even read the critics?” What kind of loser are you? Let’s say you were on Wall Street, and you decided you weren’t going to read the Wall Street Journal. Or you didn’t read Charles Gasparino and the Post or anything like that. You didn’t read it. If you’re in your business, you should read what people are saying about you because maybe they have something good to say.”
Michael Kay says Pat McAfee is a massive success story in media: “Pat McAfee is grilled every single time he opens his mouth. Maybe he’s not your cup of tea, but he’s built one heck of a career. He’s making a truckload of money, and he’s on every major portal that ESPN has. Monday night football, College GameDay, and then he has his show, which he owns. Brilliant businessman and knows exactly about the zeitgeist of this country. But we’re going to tell him that he shouldn’t be thin-skinned?”
Michael Kay is amazed by the amount of hate that Pat McAfee receives: “I can speak to the fact I am thin-skinned. I don’t know if Pat McAfee is, but it’s amazing the hatred that Pat McAfee gets. Because people might not like the way he does his job, which happens to be unbelievably successful. Who in our business has had the success that this guy’s had?”
Michael Kay believes Pat McAfee isn’t looking for publicity: “You know why you don’t do any interviews anymore? He [Pat McAfee] doesn’t need to. He’s at the top of his profession. People do so many interviews because they want publicity. They want publicity. They want their name out there. He doesn’t need his name out there. He’s doing just fine.”
What Remains Unclear: So far, it’s unclear whether McAfee will respond to Kay’s defense. Meanwhile, McAfee addressed the Utah controversy Wednesday in a lengthy social media post. However, critics argue that post misrepresented what the Utah video actually said. Additionally, McAfee’s relationship with Utah remains uncertain after he vowed never to return.
What It Means: Notably, Kay’s stance marks a shift in tone from January. Kay, who has been a critic of McAfee in the past, is now backing his ESPN colleague as the backlash grows. Kay knows from personal experience the stresses and pressures of being in the public eye. Ultimately, the debate over how McAfee handles criticism shows no sign of slowing moving into another weekend of College GameDay.
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