Dakich fires back at Scarborough with brutal defense of McAfee

Dan Dakich offered a scathing defense of Pat McAfee on Wednesday after MSNBC's Joe Scarborough attacked the ESPN personality on Election Day morning.

Scarborough said on Morning Joe that he had "had enough" of McAfee and that McAfee was ruining College GameDay.

The timing made the criticism notable.

Complaining about McAfee on GameDay is the kind of thing that fits a slow news day, and Tuesday was anything but slow, especially on a cable news show.

Scarborough said he might get in trouble for talking about McAfee.

He then mocked McAfee for being "so freaked out because two kids in Utah put up signs or say something that might offend you."

Dakich, speaking on OutKick, took Scarborough to task.

Dakich corrected Scarborough on the facts.

He noted that kids had not made signs.

Instead, the official University of Utah account had shared something of "kids coming at Pat McAfee."

Dakich then said everyone on the Morning Joe panel who talked about college sports looked like "idiots."

He made the case that College GameDay was "stale" and "dead in the water" until McAfee arrived.

Dakich accused Scarborough of co-opting sports fandom in an attempt to look like a "real guy."

He compared Scarborough to the time Tim Walz apparently misused the term "Hail Mary."

Dakich also pointed out that McAfee was not one of the issues voters cared about in the 2026 midterm elections.

"I'm telling you, this is going to be fascinating," Dakich said.

"This is going to be absolutely fascinating."

"No, it's amazing."

"Hate won last night, but Pat McAfee ain't among the hate."

"Hate won."

"We'll see how hate progresses and what they do with it, but Pat McAfee being on GameDay wasn't one of the issues."

The defense from Dakich came amid a broader wave of criticism aimed at McAfee.

Former ESPN personality Katie Nolan also weighed in on her Casuals podcast on Wednesday.

Nolan accused McAfee of acting irresponsibly before expecting others to protect his emotional well-being.

Her comments followed McAfee's public expression of discomfort about hosting College GameDay on the University of Utah campus.

McAfee had criticized the university over a video that featured students making jokes about him.

He said he was "very, very uncomfortable" on campus.

He also referenced the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was killed at Utah Valley University last year.

Nolan questioned how McAfee handled the situation.

"The guy is winning in every sense of the word, and yet is constantly acting like the world is attacking him baselessly," Nolan said.

"He acts irresponsibly, but then wants everyone to be responsible for his emotional well-being, and to take care of him."

Nolan compared McAfee's reaction to the criticism she has received during her own career, including during her time in the Apple TV MLB broadcast booth.

She suggested McAfee would have difficulty dealing with the level of criticism she has experienced.

Despite her criticism, Nolan acknowledged what McAfee brings to sports broadcasting.

"When Pat adds to a broadcast, he really can," Nolan said.

"He's got a lot of energy, and in an industry that's usually full of old-guard guys, it's good to have that youthful energy injected."

But Nolan argued that being a prominent personality means accepting that not everyone will approve of what he says or does.

Fan backlash has also been growing.

Following the midterm elections, an X post demanding McAfee's removal from College GameDay crossed one million views.

The post, from a user named Brandon, said: "I want Pat McAfee fired by midnight @espn."

Several viewers supported the demand in the replies.

One viewer wrote: "You are speaking my language. I dont watch espn any longer. Its sky sports for me."

Another demanded: "Need him fired on live TV."

A third joked: "only time the words 'want' and 'pat mcafee' will ever be used together."

Some viewers felt the program had moved away from its traditional focus on football analysis, campus atmosphere and discussions among its experienced panelists.

Scarborough had raised similar concerns a day earlier.

On Morning Joe, he praised Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Nick Saban.

But he felt McAfee had taken too much attention away from the rest of the panel.

Co-host Willie Geist shared that view.

He pointed out how the Saturday morning program had changed since McAfee became a full-time member in 2022.

Geist felt the broadcast had become too centered on one personality rather than the wider college football experience.