Pat McAfee’s appearance on All The Smoke has garnered no shortage of attention.
That included on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, where the show’s host took note of McAfee taking note of alleged criticism Le Batard had levied against the former All-Pro punter.
“He’s talked some s***,” McAfee told Matt Barnes of Le Batard. “When I saw you signed with [Meadowlark Media] I certainly started asking some questions.”
While McAfee’s response to Le Batard — if you can even call it that — isn’t on the same level of what he’s said about Bill Simmons or Norby Williamson, he has clearly taken note of what the Meadowlark Media co-founder has said about him. At the very least, he has a better memory of it than Le Batard, who was unable to to recall a time he has criticized McAfee, with producer/co-host Mike Ryan Ruiz surmising that he was referring to an Awful Announcing article (hey, I’ve heard of those guys) with the headline “Dan Le Batard is surprised Pat McAfee hasn’t made a bigger impact on ‘College GameDay.”
Looking back at that article from December, Le Batard didn’t seem to be criticizing McAfee so much as he was expressing genuine surprise that his addition to College GameDay hasn’t yielded better results from ESPN. But while the former Miami Herald columnist also called attention to McAfee’s sensitivity regarding such subjects, he made it clear on Thursday that he has no issue with the host of The Pat McAfee Show.
“I fully support Pat McAfee. His story is amazing. His charisma is amazing,” Le Batard said. “I’m seeing the guy conquer sports and rush to the head of the line. I understand why he thinks that some old media would not like what he is doing. But I am a full supporter of him taking over this space… I don’t have anything bad to say about Pat McAfee.”
https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1763284504767054003
Le Batard’s most recent comments likely won’t come as a surprise to longtime listeners.
In addition to previously having McAfee on his show as a guest, LeBatard had often praised the West Virginia product as a pioneer in the industry. And while some of his comments regarding his partnership with ESPN could be perceived as critical, the former Highly Questionable host has largely marveled at the leverage McAfee has been able to maintain over his own former employer.
All things considered, there’s plenty of evidence that Le Batard is closer to an ally of McAfee’s than he is a detractor. Perhaps the All The Smoke hosts can help clear the air.
