The University of Utah issued a formal apology on Monday to ESPN broadcast personality Pat McAfee after the school’s official social media platforms were used to amplify student criticisms of the former NFL punter. The incident occurred during McAfee’s recent assignment in Salt Lake City, where he was filming for a high-profile college football broadcast.
The dispute centered on a video recorded and published on the university’s official Instagram account. In the footage, which has since been deleted, a handful of students were seen describing McAfee using terms such as “corny” and “creepy.” While the remarks themselves were relatively minor, the fact that the university’s own marketing apparatus provided the platform for the disparagement drew a sharp and public response from the host.
“We sincerely apologize for creating any perception that Pat was unsafe or unwelcome on our campus,” the University of Utah said in a statement released via social media. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Pat and the entire GameDay crew are always welcome at the University of Utah and we deeply appreciate the opportunity ESPN provides to showcase our university and community.”
The apology followed a segment on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, where the former Indianapolis Colts punter expressed his frustration not with the students’ opinions, but with the institutional endorsement of them. McAfee noted that while he is accustomed to public criticism, he felt it was inappropriate for a host university to facilitate such attacks while he was on-site to promote the institution.
“One kid goes, ‘Ah, he’s corny.’ Another kid calls me creepy,” McAfee said during his Monday broadcast. “OK if these kids would have done this on their own blogs, all good. I mean, everybody’s taking shots at me anyways for everything; I get it.”
McAfee explained that seeing the university itself publish the comments created a sense of unease as he prepared to appear before a massive live crowd on campus. He described the situation as an “uncomfortable feeling” that he had never quite experienced before in his career.
“The university puts that out,” he continued. “Like, as I’m about to go out and do an infomercial for the place, and then I’m walking in front of thousands of these people. This is how the university feels about it. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. I’m like, I’m getting a lot of shrapnel from a lot of places. The university is putting this out?”
During his remarks, McAfee also alluded to broader safety concerns, referencing a “pretty scary” atmosphere at a recent college gathering in the state involving political provocateur Charlie Kirk. He questioned the wisdom of a university amplifying reasons for people to “hate my guts” in such a volatile environment.
McAfee remains one of the most polarizing and high-profile figures in modern sports media. His tenure has occasionally been marked by friction; last year, he was forced to issue an apology to a University of Mississippi student after he amplified unverified and false rumors regarding her personal life.
The University of Utah’s swift retraction and apology appear aimed at repairing the relationship with the network and its lead personalities following their visit to showcase the Salt Lake City community.
