Reggie Miller Appears To Choose John Mellencamp Over Pat McAfee
We have some drama within the Indiana Pacers fanbase that couldn't come at a worse time as the team gears up to play a massive Game 6 matchup against the New York Knicks on Saturday night.
Pacers great Reggie Miller has appeared to take John Cougar Mellencamp's side in the American folk rocker's current beef with Pat McAfee. It all started when McAfee was having some fun and hyping up the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd by calling out Ben Stiller, Spike Lee and Timothee Chalamet and saying the Pacers need to win and "send these sons of bitches home." Then, the American folk rock singer and Indy native, Mellencamp, released a bizarre full on apology on behalf of all Indiana residents, to which McAfee on Friday responded, "Shut the f*** up!"
You hate to see it! Unless, of course, you're a Knicks fan!
MELLENCAMP SAID HE WAS EMBARASSED OF MCAFEE'S ACTIONS
"One could only say it’s poor, poor sportsmanship. I was not proud to be a Hoosier, and I’ve lived here my entire life. On behalf of most Hoosiers, I would like to apologize for our poor behavior. I’m sure the Pacers had nothing to do with this smackdown," the 73-year-old rocker tweeted the day after McAfee's New York call out.
Reggie Miller would then go on and post a photo with the "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." singer as well as a very over-the-top appreciation post.
"Only real Hoosiers know what this man means to Indiana. Honored to call [Mellencamp] a true friend," Reggie wrote on his Instagram caption of him with Mellencamp. "From dinners, video shoots, tour bus jumping, to singing on stage, I’ve done it all with him. Nothing but unconditional [love] for him and his family, thank you for always being there for some of those late-night calls to vent about basketball back in the day.. #JackAndDiane."
OF ALL TIMES FOR REGGIE MILLER TO POST THAT…
McAfee wasn't having any part of Mellencamp's holier-than-thou apology, going absolutely scorched-Earth and mocking him on his show before telling him to STFU!
As someone who has followed McAfee since his early Indy standup comedy days, long before he went to Barstool in 2017, I'm actually laughing to myself at what Pat's initial reaction must've been when he saw John Cougar Mellencamp, of all people, going after him. Something tells me it most likely included a "What the F…" in it.
Reggie Miller should know that optics are everything these days - and the last thing the Pacers players or fanbase needs are distractions, especially when it involves one of sports media's biggest names, Pat McAfee.
MELLENCAMP IS NOT THE VOICE OF THE HOOSIERS
What's ironic and also laugh out loud funny because it is so absurd, is John Mellencamp becoming the Indianapolis "Voice of Reason."
The guy is anything but!
I've worked in the music industry for a decade and toured the country multiple times - I can tell you it is a very well-known fact that Mellencamp often comes across as unhinged and one of the more difficult artists to work with. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's an admitted socialist and a major liberal activist. Like many of those people, he is not always the nicest person - even calling out fans that have come to his show as well as storming off-stage like a crybaby.
Mellencamp may be one of America's great rockers, but the virtue signaling he displayed in his statement is the ultimate eye roll.
Get the popcorn and the beers ready, everyone. Game 6 on Saturday night is going to have some absolute scenes both on the court, and apparently, off of it as well!
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