Pat McAfee and Colts GM Ed Dodds
Credit: ESPN, WISH TV
Pat McAfee might not always dress to impress, but that won’t preclude him from demanding more of interim Indianapolis Colts general manager Ed Dodds.
In his first game as interim Colts general manager, Dodds showed up to the field in a sweatsuit, carrying a brown paper bag and wheeling his suitcase across the turf in Minnesota. The attire caught the attention of some Colts fans, including McAfee, who called Dodds out for not dressing better during his Monday afternoon show.
“In sweats, come on, bro. Come on, bro. I know he’s super cool, I wear tank tops, I dress like an a**hole, I’m not the general manager of an NFL team,” McAfee said. “So, I understand you’re super cool, I like this guy, thank you for showing up, being comfortable, being cool, you’re super cool.”
As he noted, McAfee has long been known for his own casual attire, wearing tank tops or even no shirt at all while on ESPN. But McAfee appears to draw a distinction between being on ESPN and being a general manager.
“Was he always in sweats?” McAfee asked. “And if he was always in sweats and he says, ‘This is just what I always do,’ well, what you always do got the guy you work for fired. So, maybe we change it a little bit.”
The Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard following a 2-4 start to the season last week. Ballard was in his 10th season with the team, compiling a 72-82-1 record with just two playoff appearances, the most recent coming in 2020. It’s impressive Ballard lasted that long with the Colts considering the lack of results. But maybe the longevity has something to do with never wearing sweats to a game.
“I just think, showing up at a game, it’s the general manager job. I try to not dress like an a**hole for Saturday morning television because I’m on Saturday morning television, so let me at least pay a little respect to the people,” McAfee claimed. “You’re an NFL general manager right now. And you say, ‘You know what? I’m wearing sweats into the game.’ Alright, sweet. You better win.”
In his first game as general manager, the Colts didn’t win, leaving Dodds and his sweatpants open to criticism. He probably never saw that criticism coming from someone who built his brand on wearing tank tops. But Dodds could show up every day in a tuxedo or three-piece suit, and the Colts would still likely conduct an expansive search for their next GM in the offseason.