Zaire Franklin Ignites Feud With Pat McAfee With Childish Behavior After Colts Beat Jaguars

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It's been over a week since Pat McAfee sounded off against the Indianapolis Colts, but linebacker Zaire Franklin clearly isn't over the former Colts punter calling a spade a spade.

The Colts wrapped up a disappointing 8-9 season on Sunday with an overtime win at home over the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. While leaving the field, Franklin greeted some fans in a front-row suite before turning to McAfee's suite right next door and making a handshake gesture to the empty room.

It's hard to imagine this move from Franklin was just a coincidence, it has to go back to McAfee's rant about the franchise a week ago.

The Colts were eliminated from postseason contention in Week 17 after a loss to the New York Giants. The defeat was clearly the last straw for McAfee as he posted a blunt message about the team on social media.

In the biggest moments everybody with a brain knew they’d crack.. and they did," McAfee began. 

"A blind person could see the red flags on this team.. Work ethic questions, NEVER happens on good teams.. Preparation commitment questions, NEVER happens on good teams.. Late to meetings, NEVER happens on good teams.. Late to/skipping treatment, NEVER happens on good teams.. The franchise QB tapped out of a game.. on 3rd down.. in the red zone.. because he was tired… NEVER HAPPENED in the history of the NFL."

"I’ve never seen a group waste opportunities/talent/money more than this group," he concluded.

McAfee, who has had a suite at Lucas Oil Stadium since retiring in 2017, announced that he wouldn't be renewing his season tickets before explaining on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ that he thinks the team should only keep five players on the roster.

Franklin's name was not among those five players, and it's pretty clear he took exception to that.

While McAfee made it abundantly clear that the Colts need a complete reset this offseason, team owner Jim Irsay disagrees, as he announced head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard are being retained for next season. 

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.