John Mellencamp didn’t seem to think that Pat McAfee’s attack on celebrity New York Knicks fans hurt so good.
Having attended Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Mellencamp took issue with the lack of “Hoosier Hospitality” extended toward visiting New Yorkers in the late stages of the hosts’ 130-121 win.
Mellencamp was particularly peeved at McAfee, the sports talk personality and former Indianapolis Colts punter, encouraging fans to boo celebrity Knicks fans that made the trip, including Timothee Chalamet, Spike Lee, and Ben Stiller. Without mentioning McAfee by name, the folk rock singer addressed his concerns in a statement on his social media channels on Thursday, hours before the Pacers went for a series-clinching victory over New York at Madison Square Garden.
“I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don’t know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team – and in turn, support our team,” Mellencamp said. “The audience booed these people. I’d say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. 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.”
During a timeout with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, McAfee appeared on the arena video boards and reminded his fellow Pacer fans that “bigwigs from the big city” were in attendance, specifically calling out Knicks fans/Hollywood stars Chalamet, Lee, and Stiller.
As boos rained down with each name he listed, McAfee encouraged the crowd to “turn this s**t up” and “send these sons of b*****s back to New York with their ears ringing.”
For his part, Stiller mentioned on the SNY web series “The Putback with Ian Begley” that he was somewhat taken aback by McAfee trying to generate a “Hicks vs. Knicks” narrative but that he understood that the punter was having “fun.”
While McAfee won’t be taking the “Severance” creator up on his invitation to Game 5, the two appear to have made amends, with the former offering his respect for Stiller on his eponymous, nationally-syndicated talk show.
