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Pat McAfee, an ESPN broadcaster who formerly played for the Indianapolis Colts, lamented sports journalists for their outrage over a reporter’s remarks about Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen.
Jacksonville Free Press associate editor Lynn Jones-Turpin made the comments that sparked a sports media debate online. She told Coen, “I want to tell you, congratulations on your success, young man. You keep your heads up. You’ve had a very great season. You guys did a great job out there today. You just keep your heads up, okay? Ladies and gentlemen, Duval. You keep it going. We’ve got one more season.”
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Pat McAfee at the 2025 Rose Bowl and the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Jones-Turpin’s words sparked consternation among reporters who cover the NFL, and sports in general, for a living. NFL fans brushed it off as sports reporters taking themselves too seriously.
McAfee took the side of the fan in a lengthy rant sent to X.
“Love to see these sports “journalists” get ABSOLUTELY BURIED for being scumbags…” he wrote. “Obviously not ALL OF THEM, but a HUGE % of these things hate sports.. they hate what sports are for people (happiness).. They hate what sports are for society (uniting).. they are political reporters by nature who preyed on sports because they saw it as an easier way to ‘make it’.”
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AJ Hawk, Pat McAfee and Darius Butler do an alternate game broadcast for ESPN from field level during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Miami Hurricanes at AT&T Stadium on December 31, 2025. (Raymond Carlin III/Imagn Images)
“Their days are numbered.. my show that airs on ESPN 10 hours a week with ZERO creative say from any ‘journalism school’ dummies is living proof of that.. that’s why they attack me as much as possible.. I’m glad the world is starting to see what they really are. Now… We as a society need to stop taking these particular people’s positions to ruin their opinions from sports to ruin their opinions seriously.”
McAfee suggested that the negativity surrounding Jones-Turpin’s remarks meant that journalists “will never understand” that “sports is the biggest thing on earth.”
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks to reporters after an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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“Also.. Thanks Lynn Jones for creating a situation for me and all of us about how Liam Coen, a man who might be a (GOAT) when he’s done, handles compliments in one of his most miserable moments. He handled it with class and humility.. feels like some journalism was actually done there,” he added.
