Booger McFarland had a favorite memory from his bowl game playing days, and it involved spending his entire per diem check at a “nice establishment” in Atlanta.
During halftime of Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl, ESPN studio host Kevin Negandhi asked McFarland about his best bowl game experience as a player. The former LSU defensive tackle delivered an answer that probably wasn’t what ESPN had in mind.
ESPN commentator was just asked for his favorite bowl memory as a player and it was blowing his $987 per diem at the Peach Bowl at a strip club.
— mpete91 (@mpete91) December 27, 2025
“My first experience playing in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. It was my first time getting a per diem — $987,” McFarland said. “I went to one nice establishment, and I gave it all away. They have some good wings, though. Lemon pepper wings. Lou Williams and I have something in common.”
“Lou is a big fan of lemon pepper wings, we know that,” Negandhi quipped.
— The Comeback NCAA (@TheComebackNCAA) December 28, 2025
The “nice establishment” McFarland referenced was almost certainly Magic City, the legendary Atlanta strip club that’s become synonymous with lemon pepper wings and NBA players. Lou Williams, the longtime NBA guard, became “Lemon Pepper Lou” after leaving the NBA bubble in 2020 to visit Magic City, claiming he went strictly for the wings. The club even has a signature wing flavor named after him.
McFarland played in the 1996 Peach Bowl as a freshman at LSU, helping the Tigers beat Clemson 10-9. He was named Defensive MVP of that game, so apparently, spending his entire $987 per diem at a strip club the night before didn’t hurt his performance.
McFarland may not have been prepared for Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl broadcast — he named LJ Martin as one of his keys to the game despite Martin being ruled out with a shoulder injury five days earlier — but at least he was prepared for the Peach Bowl back in 1996. He knew exactly where he wanted to spend that per diem, and Magic City’s lemon pepper wings clearly left an impression that lasted nearly 30 years.
Lou Williams would be proud.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.