Sometimes Pat McAfee can’t help himself, especially when it comes to the major sports story of the week with the FBI NBA gambling probe involving Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
There are actually two federal investigations involving NBA players, although we don’t know how they may be linked just yet, if at all. While Miami Heat player Terry Rozier was implicated in nefarious activity relating to pulling himself out of a game to cash under bets, Billups was involved in an alleged illegal poker ring with the Italian mafia.
It’s alleged that the rigged poker game contained things like rigged shuffling machines, marked cards, x-ray glasses, cameras under the table, and other things that seem like it’s out of a heist movie.
So while talking about the minuscule playoff chances of teams on the outside looking in at the CFP, McAfee couldn’t resist getting in a reference to Billups and his poker games.
Yep, Pat McAfee went there with a Chauncey Billups joke on College GameDay. pic.twitter.com/p04I30JszA
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 25, 2025
“Not a lot of people are betting on 2% chances unless you’re Chauncey Billups at a Chauncey Billups poker game,” the College GameDay star said. He was making some big bets allegedly on things that were not likely and everybody kind of knew they were rigged games.”
It’s far from the first time Pat McAfee has riffed about what’s in the headlines. Although it has gotten him in big trouble before, like when he commented on Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett. After referencing social media rumors, McAfee was the subject of potential litigation and a national public relations campaign from Cornett calling him out for his comments. He finally apologized months later after it seemed as if some kind of agreement had been reached.
At least this time relating to Chauncey Billups and the ongoing NBA gambling scandal, McAfee was wise enough to use the word “allegedly.”