Utah Apologizes to Pat McAfee Over Mocking Video

The University of Utah apologized to Pat McAfee after an official social-media video mocking him shortly before a College GameDay broadcast left the ESPN host feeling uncomfortable. The university said its staff were responsible for reviewing content on official accounts, accepted responsibility for the post and said McAfee and the GameDay crew remained welcome on campus. The video, posted before the program’s visit to Salt Lake City, asked students to imitate McAfee. In McAfee’s account, some called him corny and one called him creepy. The clip was later deleted from the university’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, according to one report. McAfee said the criticism itself was not his main concern; he objected to its appearance on an official university account just before he went on air to represent the school. McAfee said the timing and setting made him uncomfortable as he prepared to walk among students and spectators. He also referred to the 2025 killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, though he did not name Kirk in the remarks described in the reporting. Kirk was killed at a college gathering in Orem, south of Salt Lake City. In its apology, the university said...