Pat McAfee Mocks New York Times in Shirtless College GameDay Outburst

Pat McAfee escalated his public dispute with The New York Times by removing his shirt on ESPN's College GameDay for the second consecutive week, directly referencing a critical column published in The Athletic.

The segment unfolded on Saturday morning in Salt Lake City ahead of the Utah versus Houston game. After initially stating he would remain fully clothed, McAfee shed his jacket and shirt to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. "New York Times always saying it!" McAfee exclaimed. "'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."

This incident follows a column by Jerry Brewer in The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times. The article questioned McAfee's prominent role on College GameDay, suggesting the show had become overly focused on him and was deviating from its origins as a central gathering place for fans, despite high ratings. The column specifically mentioned McAfee's habit of removing his shirt, which is often met with cheers from live audiences in college towns.

Last week, McAfee had also alluded to the critical coverage. After co-host Rece Davis made a lighthearted comment about potential coaching abilities, McAfee interjected, "New York Times is gonna write an article about you! Don't do it, Rece! College football's fun. GameDay might be fun too. Don't do that, Rece. I promise you. We're in the entertainment business."

McAfee defended his on-air persona during Saturday's segment, stating, "It's supposed to be wild, it's supposed to be chaotic. It's supposed to be the best atmosphere in all of sport no matter what country you're in. College football is the best. The fans are the greatest."

He was assisted down from his chair by former Alabama coach Nick Saban, whom he then hugged. The display appeared to be a deliberate response to the criticism, with McAfee appearing to relish the antagonistic nature of the stunt.