Stephen A. Smith Sends Loud, Clear Message on Reported Pat McAfee Feud

Getty ESPN "First Take" Host Stephen A. Smith.

There may be some dissension among the upper ranks of ESPN’s on-air talent, though Stephen A. Smith vociferously protested those contentions — at least where he is concerned — on Saturday, November 9.

Responding to reports centering around comments made by former ESPN employee and current OUTKICK personality Dan Dakich on the November 8 edition of his “Don’t @ Me” podcast, Smith forcefully denied claims that he views colleague Pat McAfee as “the enemy.”

“Peeps, normally I wouldn’t waste my time,” Smith posted to his X account Saturday. “But this is a flat out lie — and some straight (expletive)! There isn’t a shred of truth to this B.S. I root FOR my teammates, not against them. And I (expletive) sure have NEVER encouraged my colleagues to do otherwise.”

Smith followed up with another post.

“The more @PatMcAfeeShow succeeds, the better it is for the rest of us,” Smith continued. “How many times do I have to say this? It was true with @PTI. It was true with @FirstTake …. before I arrived. And it’s true now. There are enough legit true things to attack, so why lie? Again, straight B.S. Have a nice weekend everyone!”

Pat McAfee Dubbed ‘The Enemy’ at ESPN, per Dan Dakich

GettyESPN personality Pat McAfee.

In Dakich’s initial comments, he asserted that McAfee told him directly that he is “the enemy” of much of the on-air talent at the network.

“McAfee’s the enemy at ESPN,” Dakich said, clarifying that he did not mean the enemy among the executives that run the company, but among Smith and other Black employees. “He is the enemy of the [ESPN employees] that are African-American that are siding with Stephen A. Smith. True story.”

Dakich continued on, citing McAfee’s popularity and salary.

“I’ve been told that by [McAfee]. He knows that. We all know that,” Dakich said. “He’s told me he is the enemy of most of the talent. He’s making more money, he’s more popular, he’s looser. Of course he’s the enemy.”

Stephen A. Smith Looking for $25 Million Annually From ESPN, More Than Pat McAfee Receives

GettyESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.

McAfee signed a five-year deal with ESPN for $85 million, per a report from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post in May 2023. While information circulating about the specific nature of the relationship between Smith and McAfee is mostly speculation, money is a likely factor in the equation.

McAfee left FanDuel for ESPN just last year, while Smith has been a tentpole personality at the network since 2012. Awful Announcing reported in September 2024 that Smith turned down a five-year deal worth $18 million annually — $1 million more per year than McAfee receives.

Smith apparently countered with an arrangement that would pay him $25 million annually, according to reporting from John Ourand of Puck.com.

Smith covets the blockbuster deal that the network used to persuade McAfee to decamp last year from FanDuel. Notably, ESPN pays McAfee’s production company, which operates his talk show, $25 million a year — a fee that covers all its operating costs: salaries, insurance, fixed costs, etc.

Smith is already on ESPN’s air more than any other talent, but I’m told that he and his agents at WME are looking for an expanded role that could see him get more involved in production, appear on more of ESPN’s NFL programming, and do all the requisite appearances that ESPN’s advertising and affiliate relations departments ask him to do.

Professional athletes all want to get paid like the best in the game and reset the market — it happens with several QB salaries in nearly every NFL offseason.

As such, it isn’t surprising that Smith is seeking to be ESPN’s highest-paid employee at a compensation level that McAfee, or the next rising media star, will want to surpass the next time they negotiate a new deal with the company.