Why the FBI urged ESPN’s Pat McAfee to wear a bulletproof vest during live broadcasts

Concerns over the safety of ESPN personality Pat McAfee became serious enough following the assassination of Charlie Kirk that the FBI recommended he wear a bulletproof vest, according to a new report.

According to Front Office Sports, a source said the federal agency made the recommendation to McAfee during the week after the September 2025 assassination of the conservative political activist. The report also states that the sports host regularly receives intimidating messages, including death threats.

Pat McAfee received security warnings after Charlie Kirk assassination

The revelation comes during a difficult week for the popular sports personality, who recently found himself at the center of controversy during an episode of “College GameDay” from the University of Utah.

McAfee criticized the way he was welcomed by the university and its students, particularly because of a video created in partnership with the school in which students impersonated the host. The former Indianapolis Colts player felt the content was intended to mock him.

He was also frustrated by a student’s reaction during a kicking contest after she commented that she could “only” win $1 million.

During Monday’s edition of “The Pat McAfee Show”, the analyst addressed the situation at length and said he had never felt as uncomfortable during a College GameDay broadcast as he did during that event.

McAfee referenced Charlie Kirk’s assassination during his show

During his comments, McAfee made several references to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was attacked during an event at Utah Valley University more than a year ago.

“I thought to myself: Has anything really scary happened at, like, a college gathering in the state of Utah recently?” McAfee said during Monday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show.”

The host explained that the situation left him with mixed emotions and questioned whether the controversy surrounding him was increasing hostility toward him.

“Do you think we should be amplifying reasons for why people hate my guts as a university? I don’t know. So it was just a lot of mixed feelings for me going out there. Then the kicker goes, ‘Only one million dollars?’ Only one million dollars? It’s like, alright, I hate this place. They have a good football team, though.”

University of Utah apologizes to McAfee

The University of Utah apologized for the video that upset McAfee and acknowledged that the content “missed the mark,” despite the intention being to create a lighthearted interaction for his return to campus.

“University staff are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts and we take full accountability for that decision,” the school said.

“University officials have reached out to Pat to express appreciation and regret. We sincerely apologize for creating any perception that Pat was unsafe or unwelcome on our campus. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pat and the entire GameDay crew are always welcome at the University of Utah and we deeply appreciate the opportunity ESPN provides to showcase our university and community.”