Sage Steele: Pat McAfee has ‘full control’ at ESPN: ‘That man has no rules’

It’s no secret that Pat McAfee plays by a different set of rules than most ESPN talent.

In fact, according to Sage Steele, when it comes to the former All-Pro punter’s role at the network, the Worldwide Leader is effectively helpless.

Appearing on Fearless with Jason Whitlock, Steele discussed the fallout from McAfee interviewing President Donald Trump on the Veterans Day episode of his eponymous daily show. But when asked whether ESPN would be able to exercise more control over the West Virginia product if he operated out of Bristol, the ex-SportsCenter anchor said that it’s already become clear how much leverage McAfee possesses over her former employer.

Specifically, Steele noted the former Indianapolis Colt punter not facing any punishment after referring to now-former ESPN executive Norby Williamson as a “rat” and Williamson then leaving the network a few months later. That was all the evidence the 52-year-old needed to know the nature of the Disney company’s relationship with McAfee, who has been licensing his daily show to ESPN since 2023.

“For that to happen and there be no — whether everybody agrees or not — when you rip an executive, name drop and call him names and nothing happens, you know that you have full control,” she said.

Steele proceeded to layout a hypothetical scenario in which McAfee asked for permission to interview Trump and was told no, laughing off such a possibility. She also noted the College GameDay star’s commentary regarding Disney’s ongoing carriage negotiations with YouTube TV as further evidence that he can’t be tamed by the network.

“That man has no rules,” she said. “And I think it’s hysterical because I’m picturing being a fly on the wall watching the executives meltdown as this interview happened yesterday. But they could not tell him no.”

Steele isn’t the first person to call attention to the one-sided nature of McAfee’s relationship with ESPN, as Dan Le Batard has previously pointed out that the network licensing his show — thus not making him a traditional ESPN employee — gives the 38-year-old all the leverage in their dynamic. Still, more than two years into the five-year deal, the setup still remains jarring for many — especially for ex-ESPN talent who were accustomed to operating under much stricter guidelines.