Pat McAfee wasn’t shy around Caitlin Clark but did apologize for his actions to the Indiana Fever star.
Clark was the guest picker on ESPN’s “College GameDay” at the University of Iowa, where she played her college ball, before the No. 14 Hawkeyes took on No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday.
The WNBA star, fresh off seeing her Fever fall to the Aces in the WNBA playoffs in three games, was actually booed while picking rival Iowa State to beat West Virginia.
She more than made up for it by selecting Iowa to upset Ohio State.
“You guys know who I’m picking,” Clark said. “We’re gonna have Julian Sayin rattled today. Stadium’s gonna go crazy, everyone better be loud. I’m going Hawkeyes.”
Then it was McAfee’s turn to make a selection, and the former Colts punter and current ESPN megastar did not disappoint.
He took off his blue blazer, ripped off his shirt to go bare-chested in front of Clark. It was a bit of a struggle as McAfee’s cuffs got stuck on his wrist, forcing him to take a little more time to finish the job.
“Caitlin, I apologize to be like this in front of you,” he said. “But when it calls, it calls. The football Gods have called for me to get shirtless in front of these fantastic people.”
He then went on to pick Ohio State to win the day’s marquee contest,
“And I’m gonna put my shirt back on, walk over to Kinnick, and watch the Ohio State Buckeyes get a huge win,” McAfee said. “There’s no way the Buckeyes lose two games in the first five weeks, I love Iowa, I still think there’s a road to the playoffs… but today it’s O-H-I-O! I love you Caitlin, you’re the best.”
Clark, who skipped Fever exit interviews to do the show, took the whole ordeal in stride, not seeming to mind McAfee’s antics much.
The Fever season ended with a 94-83 loss to the Aces on Thursday night.
