The tagline for the 2004 horror film The Grudge was “It never forgives. It never forgets.”
In some ways, that applies to Pat McAfee as well.
McAfee’s show was broadcasting live from the NFL owners’ meetings on Tuesday. Among the guests who stopped by was ESPN NFL insider Peter Schrager, who shared his appreciation for seeing McAfee and his cohorts at an NFL mixer the night before. As part of that conversation, Schrager asked McAfee if he’d gotten a chance to chat with ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Troy Aikman. Not only had McAfee not, but it opened the door for him to air his grievance over trying and failing to get Aikman to appear on the ‘progrum.’
“I don’t know how we are with Troy, I’m gonna be honest,” said McAfee. “I like him.”
McAfee added that he’d spent some time speaking with Aikman’s MNF partner, Joe Buck, but then circled back to why he hasn’t been able to touch base with the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback.
“Troy [Aikman] never comes on our show. Then, Rich Eisen’s first day on ESPN at noon, he’s on the show,” said McAfee. “So, Troy always tells us, ‘Can’t do it noon. Sorry, it’s impossible.’ First day Rich [Eisen] is on, Troy’s like, ‘Get me on that phone.’”
Everyone chuckled, but you don’t have to be a Pat McAfee Whisperer to know there’s a legitimate gripe in there.
“I won’t take it as a personal heat,” McAfee added. “But I do not know, and we don’t know Troy like that.”
Aikman has been enjoying a second wind in his “give no f*cks” era as an NFL broadcaster, but there have been times when he’s been perceived as persnickety by some (even Buck has admitted he can be “intense” at first), and he’s been known to hold a grudge or two. For what it’s worth, we are not aware of any inherent reason he would dislike McAfee.
Not to be lost in the Aikman jab is McAfee’s mention of Rich Eisen, whose show subs in the Pat McAfee Show timeslot when they’re on hiatus. McAfee has previously “joked” about whether ESPN was sending him a message by bringing Eisen back into the fold, given the timing of his program. And if we’ve learned anything about McAfee during his time with ESPN, it’s that he wears his annoyances, concerns, and dislikes on his sleeves (or in his case, sleeveless arms).
This interlude certainly won’t go unnoticed, so now we wait to see if Aikman magically appears on TPMS this NFL season or if the stalemate continues.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.