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Pat McAfee Makes Head-Turning Statement about Caitlin Clark and ESPN
By Zachary Neel,
3 hours ago
When it comes to ESPN star Pat McAfee and WNBA mega-star Caitlin Clark, there have been more bad headlines than good ones over the past few months.
If you will remember, back in June, McAfee had to issue a public apology after referring to the Indiana Fever guard as "that white b**ch" when talking about her stardom in the WNBA.
While McAfee was singing her praises, the terminology that he used certainly rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, and ruffled some feathers with his bosses at ESPN.
Now it appears that those ESPN bosses may have stopped McAfee from talking about Clark altogether. This much is becoming clear after NBC's Rich Eisen came on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday afternoon and the two had a discussion about the sports topics that have been the most interesting to talk about this offseason.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024.
Grace Smith&solIndyStar &sol USA TODAY NETWORK
The conversation started with McAfee stating that the coverage of the Olympics this summer saved his show by giving them something interesting to talk about for weeks. Eisen added that watching Clark and the WNBA season has also been very beneficial for his own show as well during the offseason for the NBA and NFL.
That's when McAfee alluded to his Caitlin Clark no-fly zone.
"Well, the universe told me not to talk about her," McAfee said. "God came in and was like, 'you know what, pal? Probably go ahead and stop it.'"
Whether it was a higher power in the universe or simply a higher power at ESPN, the end result was the same, with McAfee and his co-hosts avoiding the WNBA topic for the most part altogether over the last month or so.
So why is the universe telling McAfee not to talk about Clark?
"Because I'm an idiot, mostly," the host said when Eisen asked him the same question. "I want to say that we're big supporters. I think what she has done is obviously remarkable."
The Clark story has been incredible to watch unfold over the past several months, and it has provided a ton of content for sports media members in the usually bare summer months. Unfortunately for McAfee, he has been unable to capitalize.
"I am dumb, and the way I speak is not good," McAfee continued. "And multiple times, God has come in and been like, 'You need to stop this.'"
Will this Pat McAfee-Caitlin Clark ban last forever? Who knows. But for now, it's pretty clear that the ESPN star is being told to stay away from the subject, at least for a little bit.
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