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By Aman Sharma
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Pat McAfee still isn’t done with The New York Times.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” rolled into Salt Lake City on Oct. 24 for the No. 10 Utah Utes’ home showdown with the No. 14 Houston Cougars, and McAfee used the show’s opening minutes to needle the paper again.
Shirtless and fired up in front of a packed Utah crowd, the 39-year-old mocked how he believes the outlet sees him.
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“New York Times always saying it! ‘This a**hole is shirtless at 9:02 a.m. Eastern!’ Sorry, Coach. I’m ruining the whole sport; I’m ruining the whole sport because of this.”
The “Coach” was Nick Saban. Earlier in the segment, the ex-Alabama boss had helped McAfee down after he climbed up to rally the fans, and the pair hugged.
McAfee first vowed to stay fully clothed no matter how loudly fans pleaded. The boos stopped once the layers came off.
He pitched the moment as a rebuke of “the suits,” arguing college football is “supposed to be wild.”
His target was Jerry Brewer’s Oct. 15 column for The Athletic, a New York Times property. Brewer tagged McAfee with a “frat-rock prankster” persona and returned more than once to his shirtless antics.
Brewer’s core argument came in one passage.
“The more he appears on GameDay, the harder it is to see the show as the ultimate gathering place for all fans despite a ratings spike this season.”
Then came the question aimed at ESPN: “And with so much to balance, whose show is it?”
McAfee has now answered back two weeks running. On the Oct. 17 broadcast, co-host Rece Davis joked that Billy Napier, now James Madison’s head coach, had finally learned the job, and McAfee pounced.
“Oh, really? Don’t be joking on here,” McAfee said. “The New York Times is gonna write an article about you. Don’t do it, Rece!”
If the Salt Lake City crowd is any gauge, nobody in the stands wants him buttoned up. The Utes and Cougars, both ranked inside the top 15, were set to kick off later on Oct. 24.
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