‘Pat owns Norby’ sign displayed behind ‘Pat McAfee Show’ on ESPN

ESPN might claim Norby Williamson wasn’t ousted over his dispute with Pat McAfee, but Pat McAfee fans appear to disagree.

The noon hour of The Pat McAfee Show kicked off Friday on ESPN, live from the site of the NFL Draft in Detroit with a crowd of people behind the set.

“We had no idea there was gonna be humans out here,” McAfee said over cheers during the show open. And as ESPN’s camera panned that crowd, it did so with a fan holding up a bright orange sign, prompting the host to note, “I don’t know what that sign said.”

“I don’t know what that sign said” – Pat McAfee

The sign said “Pat owns Norby.” pic.twitter.com/iwGqWw6oQW

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2024

To be clear, that sign said “Pat owns Norby.” The sign behind The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN said, “Pat owns Norby,” referring to recently ousted longtime ESPN executive Norby Williamson.

A fan writing a “Pat owns Norby” sign? Not a big deal. It’s far from being the most egregious sign to air behind McAfee, College GameDay, or any other live show. But that sign popping up on TV with the ESPN logo in the bottom right corner of the screen, particularly during the noon hour where McAfee usurped Williamson’s beloved 12pm edition of SportsCenter, is pretty noteworthy, somewhat ironic, and at least a little bit funny.

Earlier this month, ESPN parted ways with Williamson after his nearly 40 years of service, culminated by his role as president of ESPN content. And in Williamson’s last few months at ESPN, he developed a clear dislike for The Pat McAfee Show, specifically with its fit in ESPN’s midday timeslot. McAfee responded by calling Williamson out publicly, accusing the executive of attempting to “sabotage” his show. This wasn’t the first time that accusation has been made about Williamson by a current or former ESPN talent. But three months after McAfee called him out, Williamson was gone.

ESPN reportedly moved on from Williamson because his vision for the network didn’t align with that of Burke Magnus. But that explanation won’t deter some from believing the real reason behind Williamson’s exit was simply because, “Pat owns Norby.”

[The Pat McAfee Show]