Pat McAfee was upset with FanDuel over Super Bowl commercial before split?

October 25, 2023

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Feb 9, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pat McAfee on the FanDuel set on radio row at the Super Bowl LVII media center at the Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pat McAfee walked away from a massive contract with FanDuel when he moved his show to ESPN, and a new report claims there was some tension between McAfee and the gambling company prior to the split.

Before he signed with ESPN, McAfee had a 4-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel. The contract allowed “The Pat McAfee Show” to remain independent, with FanDuel serving as the brand’s primary sponsor.

According to a story published on Tuesday by Ben Strauss of the Washington Post, McAfee was “upset” with FanDuel after FanDuel chose to feature former star tight end Rob Gronkowski in a Super Bowl commercial last year rather than McAfee.

FanDuel’s commercial spot featuring Gronkowski was called “The Kick of Destiny.” FanDuel promised to give away $10 million in bonus promotions if Gronkowski converted the kick. He missed, but FanDuel ran the promotion anyway. The ad aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12. FanDuel also tweeted a behind-the-scenes video to show that the kick itself was not edited:

.@RobGronkowski may have missed the #KickOfDestiny….

BUT YOU STILL WIN: we’re still paying out the $10,000,000 in Bonus Bets! pic.twitter.com/6z4b0EdNNI

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) February 13, 2023

McAfee, who is a former NFL punter, discussed the kick on his show the day after the Super Bowl. There was no indication that he was unhappy FanDuel chose Gronkowski over him.

Rob Gronkowski did not make the Kick of Destiny#PMSOverreactionMonday pic.twitter.com/67RT2ekD8B

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 13, 2023

The Washington Post article did not go into detail about why McAfee was supposedly upset. Even if he was, it is highly unlikely that the commercial had anything to do with his decision to break from his contract with FanDuel.

McAfee walked away from the FanDuel contract for a 5-year, $85 million deal with ESPN. There were obviously factors in his decision that had nothing to do with money, and we doubt a Super Bowl commercial snub was one of them.

H/T New York Post