ESPN urged to sack NFL icon after being forced | NFL News

ESPN are dealing with calls to sack famend presenter Pat McAfee after being forced to apologise for his rant about Canada. McAfee hit out at Canadian wrestling followers who selected to boo the American national anthem ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, carried out by Elizabeth Irving, during his commentary of the WWE Chambers occasion in Toronto on Saturday. The ex-NFL punter, who performed for the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2016 earlier than shifting into media work, acquired a large backlash after he labelled Canada a ‘horrible nation’.

During the published, McAfee mentioned: “These are the most stacked Elimination Chambers that the WWE has ever had. It kind of sucks that it’s in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing!” It proved to be a notably delicate subject following President Trump’s vow to impose tariffs on the nation. Viewers demanded an apology from the TV persona, 37, and McAfee issued a three-minute apology during his show on Monday. “There’s been some issues mentioned to me from Canadians that I suppose I respect, as a result of of the fervour that you’ve to your nation, which I hope you perceive that I used to be exhibiting the identical for mine,” he mentioned.

“You booed my country. Now, I heard from a lot of Canadians. During the national anthem, obviously the Rogers Centre, overwhelming boo. I mean, very loud boo. The first reaction whenever the national anthem starts up there was for some of these Canadians just to start booing. My entire life, my first reaction when somebody boos the national anthem is, ‘f*** you’.”

“I love Canadians, but my first reaction whenever you boo our country is, ‘Well, OK, let’s fight.’ And I’m sorry, so let’s go shake their hands – Canada.” McAfee then held out his hand towards the camera with a conciliatory ‘handshake’ gesture.

But viewers took to social media to demand that McAfee is fired from his role with the US network for his controversial comments. Keith Olbermann, the former ESPN host and current MSNBC presenter, urged his former employers to wash their hands with the Barstool Sports supremo and labelled him an ‘idiot’.

“A lot of us tried to warn the new ESPN management that the day would come when this idiot would draw them into a permanent political controversy and they could either be subsumed by it, or fire him,” Olbermann wrote on X. “That day is today. Fire him.”

Fans on social media agreed, with one X person writing: “McAfee SHOULD be fired”. But some others backed him, with one fan saying: “Pat shouldn’t have to apologise for something he said in character on a wrestling show.”

McAfee has been a half of the ESPN clan since 2019, having labored on their ‘Thursday Night College Football’ broadcasts and later as a full-time analyst on ‘College Gameday’.

Any potential departure could also be difficult by the actual fact McAfee at present licences ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ to the broadcasting giant, a deal estimated to be value an eight-figure price.