Rumors of friction between ESPN’s Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith are very real, according to one of the network’s former basketball analysts.
“McAfee is the enemy at ESPN,” former basketball coach Dan Dakich said on his podcast, “Don’t @ Me.”
‘Not between [ESPN Chairman Jimmy] Pitaro and [ESPN President, Content] Burke Magnus and the rest of the suits,” Dakich continued. ‘No, no, no, no. He is the enemy of ESPN’s African-Americans who side with Stephen A. Smith. True story. That’s what he told me. He knows that. We all know that… He told me he is the enemy of most of the talent.
‘He makes more money. He is more popular. He is looser. Of course he’s the enemy.’
This isn’t the first report of animosity between Smith and McAfee, both of whom have publicly downplayed any friction. The New York Post reported in March that the two had an explosive confrontation, with McAfee calling Smith a “mother***er.”
Pat McAfee is “the enemy” of ESPN’s on-air talent, according to podcaster Dan Dakich
Dakich claims some African-American ESPN hosts are siding with Smith against McAfee
The Post also reported that McAfee was banned from Smith’s ‘First Take,’ although the pair have refuted that claim.
McAfee has expressed frustration that his daytime talk show, which he produces and licenses to ESPN, has struggled to book the network’s many NBA analysts to host sports.
“Obviously… when we licensed our show through ESPN, we thought it would be easy to cut NBA people from ESPN’s roster,” McAfee wrote on X. “That hasn’t been the case. The [ESPN NBA] It was quite impossible to work with the crew because of their daily schedule during the season.”
Although Smith is an ESPN employee while McAfee licenses his show to the network, both compete for the same resources. In 2023, the Post reported that McAfee’s deal with ESPN is worth $85 million over five years. However, it is believed that a large part of this goes to production costs.
Meanwhile, Smith has reportedly negotiated a new deal with the network as his current contract is expected to expire in June. Smith is rumored to be looking for a nine-figure deal.
‘[Dallas Cowboys quarterback] Dak Prescott just signed a $240 million contract,” Smith said on the Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace show in September. “He makes $60 million a year. Won two playoff games in eight years.
‘I have been number one for twelve years. I’m sorry; in our respective industries, I win, and I am fully aware of my worth, and I will never apologize for that to anyone.”
ESPN has not commented on the reported feud.
McAfee has expressed frustration that his daytime talk show, which he produces and licenses to ESPN, has struggled to book the network’s many NBA analysts to host sports.
Dan Dakich calls a game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers in 2017
The addition of former NFL cornerback Jason McCourty (pictured) to First Take was seen as another sign of Smith’s growing influence at ESPN
Smith has received some criticism over his growing influence within ESPN.
As reported by the American sun in September, the addition of former NFL cornerback Jason McCourty to the First Take crew was seen as another sign of Smith’s power.
“I mean, that’s another weird move, something that gives even more power to Stephen A. Smith’s sphere of influence,” a First Take source told the Sun of the host who has become indispensable to daytime and primetime programming of the network.
“I’ve received a lot of texts just saying, ‘WTF?’ or “Here we go, another man in the court of ‘King’ Stephen A. Smith,” the source added.
McCourty’s addition was compared to that of Shannon Sharpe, the retired Denver Broncos tight end who left Fox Sports for ESPN’s First Take a year earlier. Like McCourty, Sharpe is believed to have a close relationship with Smith.
Dakich, a former Bobby Knight assistant at Indiana and coach at Bowling Green, is now a podcaster for the Fox-owned conservative sports website Outkick.com.
He previously worked for ESPN as a college basketball commentator and studio analyst, but has since gained a new following as an anti-woke voice who regularly criticizes the Worldwide Leader.
In his criticism of the network, Dakich explained that the coveted younger audience does not want Smith, but rather McAfee.
“Look, guys sitting there yelling at each other like Stephen A. Smith and a bunch of idiots do, it doesn’t really resonate,” Dakich told his podcast audience.