MOLINE, Ill. — The Quad Cities caught a stray during ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" after Indiana Pacer Tyrese Haliburton mentioned his girlfriend is a QC native.
Haliburton joined the show Wednesday to talk sports, and while discussing Haliburton's alma mater Iowa State University, Haliburton mentioned that his girlfriend is from the Quad Cities.
Show producer Ty Schmit, who grew up in Waterloo and graduated from the University of Iowa, responded, "the Quad Cities is a "sh*thole," prompting cackles from McAfee and Haliburton. If you want to listen for yourself, skip to the 44-minute mark of the show.
Visit Quad Cities CEO Dave Herrell was quick to shut down the disparaging remarks in a playful video posted to social media.
Herrell, who knows all about what makes the Quad Cities special, set the record straight in the video, which you can watch here.
After 61 years of covering the QC's most inspiring stories, News 8 knows all about the QC's best features. Here are just a few of the Quad Cities stories we've had the pleasure of telling over the last year.
Stories that prove the Quad Cities is not a "$h*thole"
- Crossing over generations: Meet the Moline crossing guard who's helped kids get to school for 50 years
- Sterling Police use CPR to bring dog back to life
- Exploring the role Galesburg played in the abolitionist movement and Underground Railroad
- Modern Woodmen named best minor league ballpark in America by USA Today
- As thousands of cards are sent around the world from Joy, Illinois, each will have the mark of a Mercer County teen
- 28 years and 8 cancers later: A bittersweet goodbye for nurse and patient she's treated
- Rock Island District Corps of Engineers assisting with Maui fire clean up
- How a Davenport partnership is helping children find a passion for reading
- Muscatine community supports pizza delivery driver's fundraiser for local animal shelter
- Pioneering women's sports: How this Davenport woman helped create an avenue for girls to compete at Iowa
- Muscatine kitten rescued from storm drain by city workers
- Sherrard bus driver gets students to safety during May 24 tornado
- Meet the Quad Cities' 3D printing elf creating thousands of toys for QC children
- Elementary school pen pals in Illinois and California bridge language, geography divides
- Bettendorf police officers raise money for Special Olympics with torch run
- Deaf Sherrard Elementary worker honored by school community
- The 2 millionth tree planted by Living Lands & Waters has its new home
- Sterling homeless shelter gets a new roof with some help from local students
- Davenport Central senior isn't letting a heart attack slow her down on the track
- Sterling police officers reunite with dog saved from fire
- 82-year-old Morrison woman proving you're never too old to play in the snow
- Moline teen helping rebuild St. Mary's food pantry
- Coal Valley man collects and donates shoes to children
- Davenport man fighting terminal cancer receives special Christmas wish
- Quad Cities' 'Mr. Thanksgiving' hosts 53rd year of free community dinners
- Muscatine family raises more than $2,500 for a domestic violence shelter with a lemonade stand
That's not all. There are plenty of engaging museums, good eats, soulful music venues, cultural festivals and much more that make the QC a special place. Visit Quad Cities and the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce also have the full scoop on the region's best features.
WARNING: VULGAR LANGUAGE USED IN THE VIDEO BELOW
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