ESPN denies banning employees from ‘Pat McAfee Show’

Former NFL punter and popular media personality Pat McAfee shared some surprising news on his show Friday when he told viewers and listeners that ESPN employees are no longer allowed to appear as guests. However, ESPN claims McAfee has been misinformed.

McAfee, who regularly has ESPN guests on his show, said Friday that he had been informed through a third party that ESPN reporters, analysts and other employees will no longer be allowed on “The Pat McAfee Show.” Richard Deitsch reached out to ESPN about the supposed ban, and a network representative said there is no such mandate.

“We didn’t intend to ban ESPN guests from the show and there is certainly no ban going forward,” the network said. “We are in the midst of figuring out the best process for future guests to appear on outside platforms and Pat will continue to make regular appearances on ESPN shows.”

McAfee has been a popular contributor on ESPN shows, and he openly wondered on Friday if he should retaliate by no longer making those appearances. That may have led to a change in ESPN’s stance, or it’s possible that McAfee was simply given bad information.

It’s worth noting that if ESPN did ban its employees from McAfee’s show, it would not be the first time the network has done something like that.