ESPN president opens up about Pat McAfee, Aaron Rodgers

Pat McAfee Show Aaron Rodgers

It’s been less than a year since The Pat McAfee Show first became a part of ESPN’s lineup.

And while the program has helped grow the World Wide Leader’s digital audience, it’s also generated plenty of controversy — none bigger than Aaron Rodgers’ paid interview appearances during the NFL season.

Between his affinity for conspiracy theories and willingness to attack McAfee’s ESPN (and Disney) colleagues, Rodgers’ weekly appearances on PMS have not only been noteworthy, but have also led many to question how responsible ESPN is for what its guests say on its programming. During a recent appearance on Richard Deitsch’s Sports Media Podcast for The Athletic, ESPN content president Burke Magnus answered that very question, admitting that his network does carry at least some of the burden in what Rodgers says on its airwaves.

“He’s technically not an ESPN employee, which limits sort of the conventional paths we have in circumstances like that. We do license his show, which he fully produces and controls entirely. But … it is our platform at the end of the day. That’s the delicate balance when in circumstances like you mentioned,” Magnus said.

“So, yes, I do think we play a role and bear some responsibility. I would be a lot more concerned about circumstances like that going forward if we didn’t have the kind of dialogue and open channels we have with Pat. I want to make it clear: He is not saying, ‘Hey, don’t talk to me, it’s my show.’ It’s quite the opposite. … It is set up for us to be able to deal with those situations as they come.”

The biggest situation that’s occurred to this point came in January, when Rodgers seemingly implied that ABC late-night host — and one of Disney’s most profile employees — Jimmy Kimmel could be on the then-redacted list of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s associates. While Kimmel wasn’t on the list, the fallout was significant, with the former host of The Man Show threatening legal action against the four-time MVP.

McAfee, for his part, said he understood why Kimmel was upset, but has also brought the Jets’ quarterback back as a guest multiple times since. In March, The Wall Street Journal reported that ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro had asked McAfee to fact-check Rodgers in real-time, a seemingly impossible task for a multitude of reasons.

As Magnus noted, the network’s relationship with McAfee is unique in that ESPN licenses the show, which the former All-Pro punter maintains total control of. In other words, it will be up to McAfee whether he brings Rodgers back as a reoccurring guest next fall — all signs point to yes — and up to ESPN to deal with the inevitable fallout of his appearances.

[The Athletic]