Pat McAfee tees off on Max Duffy in NSFW rant
Pat McAfee has taken over the world of sports media, hosting one of the largest sports podcasts in America in The Pat McAfee Show — approaching two million subscribers on YouTube — while also serving as an analyst on ESPN’s College GameDay. He also became a full-time color commentator for WWE SmackDown in 2021 and recently signed a multi-year contract extension. This comes after an eight-year NFL career as a punter where he earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2014 and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2016.
And he also hates Max Duffy — a deep, genuine, fiery hatred that stems from a tweet the former Wildcat made back in September during McAfee’s Monday Night Football appearance with Peyton and Eli Manning.
Let’s quickly lay the foundation here. McAfee breaks down the infamous Butt Punt that took place during a Week 3 battle between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. Miami’s Thomas Morstead boots a punt directly into teammate Trent Sherfield’s butt — hence Butt Punt — which sails through the back of the endzone for a safety.
McAfee explains on MNF that Morstead wasn’t at fault for the error, rather it was on Sherfield for backing into the punt when the Dolphins were deep in the endzone with limited space.
“It wasn’t good, that’s for sure. The thing about it is, this was a backed-up punt, so it’s already short on the amount of space for Thomas Morstead to get this punt off. (Sherfield) backs up when the personal protector is supposed to go forward. Instead, cheeks get clapped by a football. … What a nightmare punt situation.”
ESPN shares the breakdown and says McAfee breaking down the Butt Punt is “hilarious.” Duffy quote-tweets ESPN and says McAfee’s analysis is “completely wrong,” instead blaming Morstead for his lack of awareness.
“(McAfee) is also completely wrong. If Morstead had any sort of awareness he would realise he was going to do that and adjust….” he says. “A typical American understand of punting.”
McAfee claps back almost immediately, throwing a jab at Duffy for playing at Kentucky.
“The ‘former punter from Kentucky’ definitely knows,” he writes.
Caught up? Good. Hopefully that gets the kids out of here because it’s about to get very — and I cannot stress VERY enough — NSFW in here.
During McAfee’s live show Tuesday afternoon, the former NFL punter went on an expletive-laden rant exclusively about Duffy’s comment. In the two-plus-minute venting session, McAfee absolutely teed off on the former Wildcat.
“There is an Aussie punter who used to punt at Kentucky, the University of Kentucky, that said something about Thomas Morstead for the Butt Punt,” McAfee said. “Because I mentioned how the personal protector (was responsible), Shane Lechler mentioned the personal protector, Mike Scifres mentioned the personal protector, Rex Ryan mentioned the personal protector — but the punter formerly of the University of Kentucky said it’s because the American punters have no self-awareness. That’s why that punt went into the ass of the protector.
“Now, maybe that is something. Maybe it’s also because you’re in the NFL playing against adults, who are a lot faster and you’re in a backed-up situation trying to get the ball off quick, so you’re not worried about anything other than the punt. And you’re banking on the personal protector not backing up because that’s literally the only coaching point of that entire play.
“But the former punter from the University of Kentucky said American punters don’t understand stuff.”
And then the F-bombs (among other choice words) start flying for the final minute-plus, where he made it clear Duffy didn’t know what he was talking about because he never played in the “men’s league.”
“I’m talking to the former punter from the University of Kentucky, that should ring something,” McAfee added. “Shut the **** up. … We’re talking about the men’s league, child. I appreciate everything you did and your journey is probably awesome, but shut the **** up.
“He quote-tweeted me saying something on Monday Night Football, ‘This guy is completely wrong.’ The former punter of the University of Kentucky. Thank you. Thank you for your input, we’re talking about the men’s league. OK? You don’t know what that is because you’re the former punter of the University of Kentucky.”
He threw in a few backhanded compliments regarding Duffy’s play in college — the same Duffy who won the Ray Guy Award for college football’s most outstanding punter, along with unanimous First-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors, in 2019. The Australian punter was “unbelievable,” but still, he did it at Kentucky.
“Not that that’s a bad thing, I thought you were great at the University of Kentucky. Great. Unbelievable. With that being said, shut the **** up when we’re talking about the men’s league if you’ve never been in the men’s league.
“Former punter at the University of Kentucky, which has never, ever been a resume builder. ‘These Americans,’ shut the **** up.”
All gas, no brakes from the be-all and end-all of punting — in his own mind, at least.
Duffy’s response?
“Very aggressive (laughing emojis). To your point to never ‘played in the men’s league,’ neither did Bill Belichick but he seems to know football so I don’t think that’s valid,” he wrote on Twitter. “I like Americans & they’re awesome, just don’t punt it into (peoples’) butts was my point.”
Sounds personal, Pat.
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