Michael Kay took exception to some of Pat McAfee’s criticisms of traditional sports journalism during his radio show, pushing back on the popular ESPN talk host’s comments, calling sports journalists “curmudgeon bums” who hate sports.

All of it stems back to the viral moment between Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and the Jacksonville Free Press’ Lynn Jones-Turnpin that has stoked a debate about what’s appropriate in a press conference setting.

Kay’s issue wasn’t so much with what Jones-Turnpin did, rather, it was what McAfee said about the reaction to it, pushing back that he did not think he was a curmudgeon nor does he hate sports.

“I don’t think that sport should be looked at as anything but a unifier for society. And I don’t prey on sports because I saw it was an easier path to make it. I think I’ve done my job in an honorable way,” Kay said, per Awful Announcing.
Michael Kay took issue with Pat McAfee’s comments about traditional sports journalists.

Kay later continued, addressing, what he felt, was the right time and place that things were appropriate.

“Pat McAfee’s show is there to celebrate sports, and I think it’s great, and I think it’s a great thing on ESPN,” Kay said. “He gets the best guests, and obviously, people feel that’s a nice landing spot to give their side of the story. He has figured it out. He’s not there to grill people. He’s there to have a conversation with somebody who’s a newsmaker, make them feel comfortable, have a good time. The formula works. It’s perfect. But you couldn’t do that in a postgame scrum, Pat. You can’t. That’s not the place for it.”

Kay added an anecdote from his own career on a beat when he had gone up to then-Yankees manager Buck Showalter following a Game 5 loss to the Mariners in the 1995 ALDS to tell him how sorry he was for what he had been going through. However, the moment had come following a press conference and he still had asked the Yankees skipper tough questions.

The Yankees broadcaster explained that he would never have done that in a press conference and that it didn’t mean he hated sports.
Pat McAfee at the 2025 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium

“Doesn’t mean that I’m looking to be negative. People have a job to do,” Kay said.

The broadcaster had later pushed back at some of McAfee’s stronger takes.

“To go after these people, I don’t know. It’s a little strong, Pat. It really is. It’s a little strong,” Kay said. “Not everybody is evil. Not everybody who tries to do their jobs is evil.”