The firestorm engulfing ESPN is a product of its own doing, which is what makes all of this Pat McAfee–Aaron Rodgers drama so funny. The worldwide leader hired comic relief and, shockingly, he simultaneously lit Disney and Bristol ablaze from Indiana. In case you missed the fallout from Rodgers insinuating that ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was a pedophile, on Friday, the network issued an apology (sort of), and McAfee accused executive Norby Williamson of trying to subvert his show.
ESPN senior vice president of digital and studio production Mike Foss issued a statement that took a shot at Rodgers, but at least from what I could find didn’t include the words “sorry” or “apologize.”
“Pat announced today that he’s planning on Aaron joining the show Tuesday. Aaron made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel,” Foss told Front Office Sports. “The show will continue to evolve. It wouldn’t surprise me if Aaron’s role evolves with it.
“It should never have happened. We all realized that in the moment.”
While it’s extremely unlike ESPN to jeopardize its relationship with the No. 1 Boy, issuing a non-apology apology is 100 percent on brand. If the suits paid attention to the content of Rodgers’ segments instead of the impressions, they’d know that the New York Jets quarterback was never intelligent and has only gotten dumber over the past three to four years.
For McAfee, attacking Williamson — who I guess is not the most charismatic yes man — is a shrewd move.
“I believe, Norby Williamson is the guy who is attempting to sabotage our program,” McAfee said on his show, on ESPN. “Now, I’m not 100 percent sure. That is just seemingly the only human that has information, and then that information gets leaked, and it’s wrong, and it sets a narrative of what our show is.”
Blaming anything but that blank look he gets whenever Rodgers is on his 17th Eli Cash soliloquy of the segment is deflecting, yet McAfee has his brigade, and they’re morons, too. Your bet is as good as mine as far as who’s the most acrimonious on next week’s Tuesdays with Pat and Aaron.
What I do know is if in fact ESPN lets those two bozos back on air together, whatever ratings problems the show may or may not have will be course-corrected. Lord knows I will be far away from watching Pat McAfee and Aaron Rodgers chuckle like a couple of drunk teenagers.
I might just swan dive into some rocks to be certain.
Knicks fans swooning over OG Anunoby
New York improved to 3-0 with new addition OG Anunoby in the lineup, including wins over Philadelphia and Minnesota. Anunoby is the perfect Tom Thibodeau chess piece, and his defense is already making a difference as the Knicks held the Sixers below 100 points for just the third time this season, 128-92, in Philly on Friday.
That’s with Joel Embiid in the lineup if you’re asking.
Anunoby is doing exactly what Thibodeau wanted from RJ Barrett. Kudos to New York’s front office for continuing to make winning trades even if they’re just on the periphery. I’m not sure what the endgame is, but the Heat make playoff runs on moxy and defense all the time. You never know which one of the East’s top three will crumble in the postseason, and New York could be doing the grating.
Hey, I’m only partially gassing up Knicks fans, and relative to recent history, that’s pretty good for early January.
