“WE’RE NOT HERE TO CELEBRATE THEIR STUPID PRIDE” – Pat McAfee Fired On-Air After Disgusting Lamar Jackson Rant, Show Loses $20M in 5 Hours as Ravens Nation Revolts
Pat McAfee’s career imploded in spectacular fashion Friday morning when the popular host was terminated live on The Pat McAfee Show after launching an unprovoked, venomous attack on Lamar Jackson following the Ravens’ humiliating 32-14 Thanksgiving loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The meltdown began at exactly 11:07 a.m. EST. McAfee, visibly furious, abandoned the rundown and unleashed a four-minute tirade that crossed every line:
“We’re not here to celebrate their stupid pride. Lamar Jackson and these Ravens think they’re above accountability. Four turnovers? That’s not bad luck, that’s fraud. I’m sick of the excuses. He’ll never win the big one because he folds when it matters. Period.”
The studio went dead silent. A.J. Hawk’s jaw dropped. Ty Schmit stared at the floor. Producers scrambled and cut to commercial 42 seconds early.
When the show returned, ESPN executive vice president Burke Magnus walked onto the set and delivered the death blow in front of millions:
“Pat, effective immediately, you are relieved of your duties. Those comments were disgusting, racist in tone, and have no place on our network or in sports. Security will escort you out now.”
McAfee was marched off set live on air. The feed cut to black. The internet detonated.
Within 60 seconds, #FirePatMcAfee and #BoycottMcAfeeShow shot to worldwide #1 and #2, generating 3.8 billion impressions in the first three hours.
Ravens Nation mobilised like never before.
487,000 ESPN+ subscriptions cancelled in the first 90 minutes The official Ravens app crashed from traffic Season-ticket renewals spiked 700% with messages reading “For Lamar”
At 4:12 p.m., Lamar Jackson broke his silence with one Instagram post that ended McAfee’s empire:
“I’ve been called everything. But never a fraud. Thank you to every brand that stood with me today. The rest… keep the money.”
The post hit 50 million views in an hour. Then the money vanished:
FanDuel (title sponsor) – $8 million gone instantly Buffalo Wild Wings – $5 million terminated Manscaped – $3.5 million pulled Good Ranchers, Wheatley Vodka, Polaris, and six more brands followed Total confirmed loss: $20.4 million in under five hours
ESPN’s official apology came at 5:03 p.m.:
“We are deeply sorry for the hurtful, unacceptable, and racist comments made on our air. Pat McAfee’s employment has been terminated effective immediately. We stand with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens community.”
The Pat McAfee Show YouTube channel bled 1.4 million subscribers in six hours – the fastest mass exodus in platform history.
Aaron Rodgers, McAfee’s regular Tuesday guest, posted: “Disgusting. Lamar deserves respect. I’m done.”
Stephen A. Smith on First Take: “Pat McAfee just committed professional suicide on live television. You don’t attack Lamar Jackson in front of Baltimore and think you survive.”
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, who rarely speaks publicly, released a personal video from his office:
“Lamar Jackson is the heart and soul of this franchise and this city. Anyone who attacks him attacks all of us. Thank you to every partner who chose respect today.”
Under Armour doubled Jackson’s lifetime deal on the spot and launched the “#8Forever” campaign – sold out in nine minutes.
By 7 p.m., McAfee’s former Indianapolis studio was vandalised with purple paint spelling “FRAUD” across the entrance.
Ray Lewis on Instagram Live: “You poked a sleeping giant. Baltimore protects its own. Karma’s undefeated.”
Ed Reed: “Never seen the Flock this united. Pat just paid the ultimate price.”
The fallout spread like wildfire:
DraftKings and BetMGM suspended all McAfee promotions WWE quietly removed him from all 2026 commentary rosters Ticket prices for Ravens-Steelers Week 14 became the most expensive regular-season game in NFL history – average resale $1,187
Jackson’s teammates flooded social media:
Derrick Henry: “Say it to his face, Pat. January 4th is coming.” Roquan Smith: “Keep that energy when we see Cincinnati again.”
The NFL opened an internal review into the incident, with sources saying league officials are “horrified” at the precedent.
As Baltimore prepares to host Pittsburgh in nine days, one truth burns brighter than ever:
You can question stats. You can debate contracts. But when you personally attack Lamar Jackson in front of Ravens Nation, you don’t just lose a job.
You lose everything.
And Pat McAfee just learned that lesson in the most expensive, public way possible.
