Although a much-contested snap spelled the end of the 2023 season for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Jalen Milroe’s acronym ‘LANK’ remains. The phrase that has been a rallying cry for the Alabama faithful that was adopted as the Crimson Tide’s phrase following their home loss to Texas earlier in the season. Now the phrase has hit a comical bump in the road for what it doesn’t stand for as initiated by the cringy laughter of Pat McAfee.
But does McAfee’s laughter at the assumption of the usage of a more racially charged N-word say more about Pat McAfee’s comfort in the culture than a 21-year-old quarterback’s misinformed branded phraseology?
McAfee’d
“College GameDay” host Pat McAfee showcased the inner workings of his mind when a segment about LANK went left when McAfee kept it too honest. During Monday’s edition of “College GameDay,” Rece Davis introduced a segment about Milroe and ‘LANK.’
However, when he said what the acronym stands for, “Let A Naysayer Know,” McAfee revealed that he thought the phrase stood for something more culturally endearing and stopped Davis to let the world know.
“That is not what I thought,” McAfee said shocked at “naysayer.” “Let a naysayer know? Of course. It got real tight, it got real tight up here.”
The Black co-hosts lost it on air, laughing hard at the awkward moment where McAfee thought Rece Davis was about to risk it all for Jalen Milroe.
Good Intentions
In the offseason, Milroe and Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold devised a term to define this Crimson Tide team and its 2023 run to the College Football Playoffs: “Let All Naysayers Know.” The phrase took on a life of its own all season long, and although it didn’t help them win at the Rose Bowl on Monday, it has become ubiquitous within the SEC. Milroe and Arnold’s LANK merchandise benefits their name, image, and likeness (NIL) brands
“LANK was something we built in the offseason,” Milroe said to the media in September. “We came in as one unit to think of a motto to push our team. There was a lot of doubt throughout the offseason. We came together and made that our motto this year.”
In December, Alabama announced all players on the roster could profit off their NIL in conjunction with LANK with merchandise that includes specific players’ likenesses.
While Milroe and Arnold are out here being entrepreneurial and motivating the Alabama faithful with yet another rallying cry, McAfee is showing that he is too comfortable in spaces he is not invited.
