Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit share back-and-forth on ESPN, YouTube TV dispute: 'All of us would like the deal to get done'

On Tuesday, firebrand ESPN personality Pat McAfee made a public plea for Disney — which owns both ABC and ESPN — to resolve its ongoing carriage dispute with popular streaming service YouTube TV. The current ABC/ESPN blackout on the Google-owned YouTube TV reaches one week at midnight on Thursday.

During his mini-rant on Tuesday’s The Pat McAfee Show, which is simulcast on both ESPN and YouTube, the fan-favorite host also called out several of his fellow ESPN colleagues. He did not name anyone specifically for participating in a coordinated pressure campaign on social media in support of their side of the carriage dispute.

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Over the last week, several of ESPN’s biggest TV personalities — from Scott Van Pelt and Mike Greenberg to Kirk Herbstreit and Laura Rutledge — posted messages on X/Twitter directing YouTube TV viewers impacted by the ABC/ESPN blackout to go to the website keepmynetworks.com. That link provides various links for fans to either contact YouTube TV or find other streaming options.

“We’re all done with it, OK? We’re all done with it. And also, if you’re on TV, stop telling people to go to a website to save a multi-billion dollar deal. OK? Nobody cares what you have to say,” McAfee said Tuesday. “Let’s put our swords down. Let’s put our swords down for the good of sports.”

Pat McAfee on Kirk Herbstreit joining ESPN-led social media campaign: ‘I hated that you posted that’

On Thursday’s episode, McAfee playfully poked fun at Herbstreit’s involvement in the social media campaign. He did so while introducing his fellow College GameDay colleague for his weekly appearance.

“He’s the voice of college football, golly, the former president of Ohio and he needs you to go to keepyournetworks.com, ladies and gentlemen, Kirk Herbstreit,” McAfee said Thursday. “I hated that you posted that. I know you felt obligated.”

Herbstreit was quick to defend his Nov. 1 post on X/Twitter, but mostly claimed ignorance.

“Somebody told me (to), and I thought maybe this’ll help let people watch the show is all,” Herbstreit explained on The Pat McAfee Show. “I didn’t really think about (the deeper implications). I thought, ‘hey, maybe this will help people watch games today.’ That’s all I thought. Why don’t you just guide me on that shit from now on?”

After a little more playful back-and-forth, McAfee doubled-down on his desire for a speedy resolution to the Disney-YouTube TV dispute before getting into the interview.

“There’s a lot going on still behind the scenes, (but) we’d like a deal to be done, all of us would like the deal to get done,” McAfee said.