ESPN have been urged to fire Pat McAfee after his rant about Canada (Image: Getty)
ESPN are facing calls to sack renowned presenter Pat McAfee after being forced to apologise for his rant about Canada. McAfee hit out at Canadian wrestling fans who chose to boo the American national anthem ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, performed by Elizabeth Irving, during his commentary of the WWE Chambers event in Toronto on Saturday. The ex-NFL punter, who played for the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2016 before moving into media work, received a huge backlash after he labelled Canada a ‘terrible country’.
During the broadcast, McAfee said: “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 particularly sensitive topic following President Trump’s vow to impose tariffs on the country. Viewers demanded an apology from the TV personality, 37, and McAfee issued a three-minute apology during his show on Monday. “There’s been some things said to me from Canadians that I guess I respect, because of the passion that you have for your country, which I hope you understand that I was showing the same for mine,” he said.
Pat McAfee, the former NFL punter turned ESPN host, has been criticised for his remarks (Image: Getty)
“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’.
Pat McAfee was commentating on WWE when he called Canada a ‘terrible country’ (Image: Getty)
“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 user 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.”
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 himThat day is today. Fire him.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann)
McAfee has been a part of the ESPN clan since 2019, having worked on their ‘Thursday Night College Football’ broadcasts and later as a full-time analyst on ‘College Gameday’.
Any potential departure may be complicated by the fact McAfee currently licences ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ to the broadcasting giant, a deal estimated to be worth an eight-figure fee.