Pat McAfee last played for the Indianapolis Colts in 2016 — and two presidential terms later, his voice still holds significant weight.
Not that it wouldn’t, but certain former players’ opinions in the media carry more weight than others. When it comes to the Colts, few, if any, have more influence and presence than the host of The Pat McAfee Show.
And after the Colts’ latest clunker, in which they lost 30-20 to the Buffalo Bills behind three Joe Flacco interceptions, McAfee had some choice words about the state of the once-proud franchise.
What Kenny Moore said tells you everything that you need to know about this Colts team#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/q89KC3qJyK
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 11, 2024
“This Colts team f*cking sucks,” McAfee said on his show Monday. “I’m disgusted. I’m disgusted. Everyone wants to put [Anthony Richardson] in; hey, listen, AR had no chance with this building. That’s what I’ve realized over the last 12 hours. I’m wondering why AR’s tapping out of games as a quarterback. Like, how does this guy not know you can’t, as a quarterback, do that? Like, call timeout, waste a timeout, instead of tapping your head and showcasing that whole thing.”
“Is he getting better? Is he getting worse? Is he in shape? All those things,” McAfee continued. “He’s got nobody telling him how he’s supposed to operate in that building. Kenny Moore II, our captain, one of my favorite guys on the football team, after the game, comes out and goes, ‘Our team doesn’t work.’… So, AR had no idea how he’s supposed to be a professional because there’s no damn professionals in that building.”
Kenny Moore II with some strong comments in the locker room postgame:
“I don’t think everybody is working as hard as possible, and obviously it’s showing.”
“Year to year, it’s the same thing.”#Colts @WTHRcom pic.twitter.com/Kw47Gb61tk
— Dominic Miranda (@DomMirandaTV) November 10, 2024
“These have been the stories that have been happening over the last few years,” said McAfee. “And I’m not saying this team under Shane Steichen’s been this, but if you remember, when Frank Reich was the coach…people were showing up late to team meetings, and people were missing training. Obviously, there’s the story about gambling in the locker room… It was like, ‘Why aren’t we winning?’ It’s like, ‘The culture’s not very conducive to being a professional outfit,’ and this whole thing happens.
“‘We’re not even working hard.’ What do you mean you’re not working hard…?”
McAfee’s rant cuts to the heart of the Colts’ problem: without real leadership and accountability, no quarterback is going to thrive in Indianapolis. For a franchise that once prided itself on being one of the more competent organizations in football, they’re now left to face the uncomfortable reality of either fixing the culture or watching the losses keep piling up.
This is the same McAfee who tends to pick his battles when critiquing NFL players, as he usually leans toward celebrating the league on his show.
But now, with his hometown team in a proverbial freefall, McAfee isn’t holding back. He’s placing less blame on Richardson and more on the culture surrounding him.
