Appearing on 'The Pat McAfee Show,' Kirk Herbstreit defended posting a message regarding ESPN's standoff with YouTube TV. Screen grab: ‘The Pat McAfee Show’
By Ben Axelrod on

Earlier this week, Pat McAfee criticized ESPN personalities for social media posts about the network’s ongoing standoff with YouTube TV.

Among those to make such a post was McAfee’s close friend and College GameDay co-host Kirk Herbstreit, who shared the link to a Disney website where YouTube TV customers could go to voice their concerns regarding the Google-owned platform and find alternatives.

While McAfee didn’t name names, this was the exact type of post he criticized during Monday’s episode of his eponymous show. And that led to some teasing as Herbstreit joined Thursday’s program.

“I hated that you posted that,” McAfee said. “I know you felt obligated… I know, I know, I know. Somebody told you and you felt obligated.”

“Somebody told me and I thought, ‘hey, maybe this will help people watch the shows,'” Herbstreit confirmed. “I didn’t really think about…”

“I know, you were trying to be a good team player and you love ball literally more than anyone,” McAfee interrupted.

“Yeah, I thought, maybe this will be able to help people watch games today,” Herbstreit said. “That’s all. I thought. Why don’t you just guide me on that sh*t from now on?”

“Will you please ask me? Because there is ramifications to all these things,” the former All-Pro punter responded.

Herbstreit pivoted to praising the audience that McAfee was able to draw by livestreaming Saturday’s episode of GameDay on his X feed. The West Virginia product agreed, seemingly hinting at the possibility of an expanded relationship with the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.

As for McAfee’s criticism of the social media post, both he and Herbstreit can be right; the former Ohio State quarterback might have genuinely thought he was helping his audience without realizing the “ramifications” his co-host alluded to.

With a deal still not in place, it will certainly be interesting to see how ESPN and GameDay approach this Saturday’s episode. Either way, don’t count on a social media post from Herbstreit — or especially McAfee — on the matter.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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