ESPN layoffs: Pat McAfee addresses situation after getting ‘murdered on the internet’

Pat McAfee finds himself in a bit of a polarizing situation among the massive amount of recent ESPN layoffs by the sports media giant. While many high-profile names are being let go, McAfee landed an enormous contract for his extremely popular "Pat McAfee Show" to join their network.

Apparently, many sports fans have taken issue with this situation, with some of them even directly blaming McAfee for the long list of notable layoffs. He claims to be getting murdered on the internet, likely on social media, as many fans are clearly upset with some of their favorite ESPN personalities being let go.

Pat McAfee recently responded to the criticisms from his personal Twitter account:

"I did a lot of reflecting about our show’s journey while I was getting murdered on the internet today (hell yeah).. all roads lead back to how honored I am to be the leader of such a talented group and how lucky I am to be a part of this team …

"We do our thing. We enjoy ourselves. And we never blink... Basement, box truck, world stoppage.. you name it.. the show rolls on.

"We’re very pumped to be joining ESPN and our goal is that “Mass exits” are never a thing again.. we hope to help that.. obviously that’s a lofty goal but, that’s how I truly look at life... I wish we could’ve worked alongside a lot of the folks that got released today. Some absolute legends, that we all respect, in the sports media world were trending today for losing jobs. That sucks.. no matter how you slice it.

"We’re gonna continue to control the things we can control.. try to do daily sports coverage in an entertaining and informative fashion.. and be thankful for all of the opportunities that have been earned thru a lot of hard work and commitment from the group of dudes I get to call coworkers."

ESPN recently signed Pat McAfee to a mega-contract worth about $85 million across the next five years. His show was previously hosted by FanDuel, but will now move over to the Disney-owned sports giant.

What some fans took issue with is the fact that he's receiving nearly $20 million per year, while the recent layoffs cut close to $30 million. Some fans believe ESPN fired some of them to directly make room for Pat McAfee's newly-added massive salary.

ESPN firings 2023: Listing every name that has been let go so far

Suzy Kolber

While they have signed Pat McAfee, at least 15 prominent names have been laid off by ESPN, with more possibly to be announced in the near future. They are as follows:

1. Jeff Van Gundy
2. Max Kellerman
3. Keyshawn Johnson
4. Suzy Kolber
5. Steve Young
6. Todd McShay
7. Jalen Rose
8. Matt Hasselbeck
9. LaPhonso Ellis
10. Ashley Brewer
11. Joon Lee
12. Jordan Cornette
13. Jason Fitz
14. David Pollack
15. Nick Friedell

The upside to so many stars being let go is that it creates new opportunities for current and prospective talents. Those currently with the company are expected to fill additional roles that are now left vacant. It also opens the door for new faces, such as Pat McAfee to join the team.

It remains to be seen where those who have been let go will land, with some likely to go to ESPN's competitors, and others to host their own projects.