Overview
- McGee’s original entry referenced the angel Moroni and Joseph Smith with a fabricated inscription tied to BYU’s placement in the “Coveted Fifth Spot.”
- BYU was slotted at No. 5 in the Bottom 10 after its first loss of the season at Texas Tech, dropping the previously 8–0 Cougars to 8–1.
- Latter-day Saints, BYU supporters, and former athletes, including Jonathan Tavernari, criticized the remark on social media.
- Before the revision, McGee initially defended the line in replies to readers, citing a long-used anecdote about not being a jerk.
- ESPN removed the passage, McGee rewrote the section with a pop‑culture analogy referencing a Billy Bob Thornton TV series, and he posted an apology on X for “earlier insensitivities,” with no additional institutional action reported.