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Former WVU Grid Standout McAfee Signs Massive Media Deal
December 12, 2021 03:20 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Former West Virginia University specialist Pat McAfee signed what the New York Post is calling one of the "richest talent deals" in sports media history late last week when he inked a four-year deal with FanDuel reported to be worth in the vicinity of $30 million annually.
McAfee's 17-minute video posted to his YouTube channel last Thursday revealing the deal has already received more than a million page views.
In his announcement, he pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable donations to the local youth sports programs in his hometown of Plum, Pennsylvania, a $2 million donation to the Plum Area High athletics department, $1 million to WVU Medicine Children's new hospital and millions more to other charities, including Peyton Manning Children's Hospital and Mathis' Original Gridiron Gang, a program which allows underprivileged kids attend high-level football camps.
His pledged donations to Indianapolis area charities, where he currently resides, included Wish 4 Our heroes, Coburn Place and McAfee's wife's own foundation, Fur the Brand.
He also committed generous pay raises to his creative collaborators for their successful "The Pat McAfee Show" venture, which currently has 1.57 million YouTube subscribers. He has more than 2.2 million Twitter followers (@PatMcAfeeShow) and his podcast, "The Pat McAfee Show 2.0," is one of the most listened to on Spotify.
"Everybody kind of dogs the checkers mentality," McAfee said during his announcement. "You're just trying to get over whatever's in front of you because that's where your full focus is, and then you worry about the next move when you get there."
McAfee surprisingly retired following a Pro Bowl season in 2016 to pursue a career in standup comedy, which eventually transitioned to sports media and entertainment, including a stint with Barstool Sports. He left nearly $6 million on the table (the final two years of his five-year contract with the Colts) plus millions more in a new contract when he chose to retire at age 29.
"I wanted to chase fulfillment," he said.
McAfee mentioned the late Bill Stewart in his announcement video. Stewart was his special teams coach for three seasons at West Virginia before taking over the head coaching duties during McAfee's senior year in 2008.
McAfee is one of the most accomplished specialists in WVU history, ranking first in career kick scoring (384 points), first in career PATs (210), third in career field goals made (58) and third in highest career punting average (43.7).
The New York Post said McAfee's expanded deal with FanDuel will "inevitably have ripple effects across the industry," adding, "McAfee, as an edgy and relatable personality, has proven to be effective at referring bettors to FanDuel."
McAfee's 17-minute video posted to his YouTube channel last Thursday revealing the deal has already received more than a million page views.
In his announcement, he pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable donations to the local youth sports programs in his hometown of Plum, Pennsylvania, a $2 million donation to the Plum Area High athletics department, $1 million to WVU Medicine Children's new hospital and millions more to other charities, including Peyton Manning Children's Hospital and Mathis' Original Gridiron Gang, a program which allows underprivileged kids attend high-level football camps.
His pledged donations to Indianapolis area charities, where he currently resides, included Wish 4 Our heroes, Coburn Place and McAfee's wife's own foundation, Fur the Brand.
He also committed generous pay raises to his creative collaborators for their successful "The Pat McAfee Show" venture, which currently has 1.57 million YouTube subscribers. He has more than 2.2 million Twitter followers (@PatMcAfeeShow) and his podcast, "The Pat McAfee Show 2.0," is one of the most listened to on Spotify.
"Everybody kind of dogs the checkers mentality," McAfee said during his announcement. "You're just trying to get over whatever's in front of you because that's where your full focus is, and then you worry about the next move when you get there."McAfee surprisingly retired following a Pro Bowl season in 2016 to pursue a career in standup comedy, which eventually transitioned to sports media and entertainment, including a stint with Barstool Sports. He left nearly $6 million on the table (the final two years of his five-year contract with the Colts) plus millions more in a new contract when he chose to retire at age 29.
"I wanted to chase fulfillment," he said.
McAfee mentioned the late Bill Stewart in his announcement video. Stewart was his special teams coach for three seasons at West Virginia before taking over the head coaching duties during McAfee's senior year in 2008.
McAfee is one of the most accomplished specialists in WVU history, ranking first in career kick scoring (384 points), first in career PATs (210), third in career field goals made (58) and third in highest career punting average (43.7).
The New York Post said McAfee's expanded deal with FanDuel will "inevitably have ripple effects across the industry," adding, "McAfee, as an edgy and relatable personality, has proven to be effective at referring bettors to FanDuel."
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