By The fallout from Charlie Kirk’s assassination reached beyond politics and into ESPN’s broadcast booth. The FBI advised Pat McAfee to wear a bulletproof vest the week after the conservative activist was murdered in September 2025, according to The New York Post.
The report adds a serious backdrop to McAfee’s public clash with the University of Utah over his recent College GameDay appearance. Front Office Sports reported that the ESPN personality regularly receives threatening messages, including death threats. McAfee has not publicly confirmed the FBI recommendation.
During Monday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the broadcaster said he “never felt more uncomfortable” than during Saturday’s broadcast at the university. His frustration centered on a promotional video featuring students doing impressions of him, which he viewed as trash-talking from the institution hosting the show.
But McAfee also pointed to something far more troubling than students mocking his television persona. Kirk was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, roughly 40 miles south of the University of Utah campus.
“I thought to myself: Has anything really scary happened at, like, a college gathering in the state of Utah recently?” he said. “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.”
The reference to Kirk underscored the shadow his killing still casts over public appearances on college campuses. Vice President JD Vance credited the Turning Point USA co-founder with helping build his political career and organizing support for the Trump administration. Vance described a friend whose influence extended from campus events to recruiting people for the administration after the 2024 election.
ESPN stood behind McAfee, making clear that the network considers the threats facing its employees a serious security concern.
“The safety and security of our on-air team, crew and fans is paramount at ‘College GameDay,’” the network said. “We are committed to ensuring a safe environment, and given the very real threats that members of our team face, we take issues involving their safety seriously. We support Pat and recognize the very real and valid concerns he has around safety and security.”
The University of Utah apologized for the video, saying it “missed the mark” after being intended for “light-hearted engagement regarding Pat being back on campus.” The school accepted responsibility for publishing the material on its official accounts.
“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.”
The reported FBI advice remains attributed to an unnamed source.
[READ MORE: Leading American CEO Targeted By China]
