Former Colts punter Pat McAfee, who also happens to be a prominent figure in sports media, isn’t happy with his former team. And he said so on Sunday, in a blunt and lengthy post on Twitter.
After the Colts were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the lowly Giants, who previously hadn’t won a single home game all season, McAfee raised several key deficiencies that don’t reflect well on the current management of the franchise.
“In the biggest moments everybody with a brain knew they’d crack . . . and they did,” McAfee wrote. “A blind person could see the red flags on this team.. Work ethic questions, NEVER happens on good teams.. Preparation commitment questions, NEVER happens on good teams.. Late to meetings, NEVER happens on good teams.. Late to/skipping treatment, NEVER happens on good teams.. The franchise QB tapped out of a game.. on 3rd down.. in the red zone.. because he was tired… NEVER HAPPENED in the history of the NFL. . . .
“When I said Joe Flacco gives us a better chance to win than [Anthony Richardson] immediately after the tap out.. I would’ve said whatever backup QB we had on the roster. That can’t be what the face of your team is doing.. just can’t be.. and to a bigger aspect of it all, somehow AR thought it was ok to do that. That’s a locker room issue.. that’s a culture issue.. [that’s] an indicator of a loser attitude radiating thru a building that was built by greats.”
McAfee added that he won’t be renewing his season tickets, placing the blame directly on the players.
“Your unwarranted arrogance, laziness, and lack of professionalism has lead you to ANOTHER early vacation… which is probably what most of you entitled bums have been hoping for,” McAfee said.
The beef seemingly traces to the use of McAfee’s image on the YouTube graphic for an episode of linebacker Zaire Franklin’s podcast. Franklin and teammate E.J. Speed went off on “motherfuckers talking crazy on national television” about the Colts,
“You are on national television and you’re screaming about changes that need to be made,” Franklin said, via AwfulAnnouncing.com. “Just for the next week, you scream for the opposite change to be made. . . . Come on, gang. And pick a side. Whose team is y’all on? They’re not on the side of the fans because they’re manipulating and gaslighting them.”
McAfee obviously had that moment in mind when he said what he said on social media. His post started with this: “I’ve said what I believed to be the truth about the team.. & a bunch of ‘Colts fans’ on the internet were trying to get me booed out of the city.. Current players, who have won nothing during their entire tenures, started using me and my face to try and paint me as the enemy in the city I’ve committed my life to.”
The ultimate question is whether and to what extent owner Jim Irsay will be influenced by what McAfee said. If so, there could be a full and complete housecleaning, with coach Shane Steichen and G.M. Chris Ballard gone. If not, nothing will happen.
There’s not much of a middle ground. Either Irsay heeds McAfee’s harsh critique of the team, or Irsay doesn’t. If he does, the reset button will be pressed. If he doesn’t, the status quo will be maintained.
For McAfee, it’s an all-in move. It’s a test of his influence. And it will be interesting to see how much more aggressively he pursues this attack on the franchise if Irsay doesn’t make changes aimed at rectifying the serious, deep-seated cultural problems to which McAfee has pointed.
