ESPN and Pat McAfee’s partnership, which was supposed to last five years, might not even make it to five months.
During his Friday show on ESPN, McAfee accused Norby Williamson, an ESPN executive, of trying to undermine the agreement.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post, McAfee stated, “I believe, Norby Williamson is the individual who is attempting to sabotage our program. Now, I’m not 100 percent sure. That is just seemingly the only human that has information, and then that information gets leaked, and it’s wrong, and it sets a narrative of what our show is.”
Even if McAfee was completely certain that Williamson leaked negative ratings information to Andrew Marchand of the Post, it’s a bold move to confront executives from the same network that employs you on the very platform the network provides. This move won’t generate a harmonious, long-term relationship.
McAfee added, “[A]re we just gonna combat that from a rat every single time? Somebody tried to get ahead of our actual ratings release with wrong numbers 12 hours beforehand. That’s a sabotage attempt. It’s been happening this entire season from some people who didn’t necessarily love the old addition of ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ to the ESPN family. There’s a lot of those.”
Even if he’s correct, this move will only solidify positions and prompt adversaries within the organization to intensify efforts to derail his endeavors. This is especially true as ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel is reportedly upset with comments made by Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the show earlier in the week.
There’s a chance McAfee may emerge victorious, gaining more power and influence. Perhaps Williamson may be dismissed, and all internal opposition may be defeated.
However, it’s more likely that publicly airing this grievance will only expedite a premature separation. If McAfee believes there are forces within ESPN working against him, perhaps that’s the outcome he desires.
