Pat McAfee says security group suggested bulletproof vest after threats

Pat McAfee said a security group, rather than the FBI, suggested that he wear a bulletproof vest, addressing reports that the FBI had given him that advice. The claim concerns security arrangements in 2025 after Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University in September that year. McAfee clarified the source of the suggestion in a social-media post.

The New York Post reported that multiple outlets had said the FBI advised him to wear a vest a week after Kirk’s killing.

The New York Post, AOL.com and Fox News headlines also described the reported advice as coming from the FBI, while McAfee attributed it to “one of the security groups.” The accounts establish that McAfee corrected the attribution; they do not explain which security group made the recommendation.

The New York Post said McAfee described a security operation involving FBI snipers and a large police presence. That detail indicates that federal agents were part of the security arrangements, but it does not establish that the FBI suggested the vest.

Keeping those claims separate matters: the presence of FBI personnel and the identity of whoever made a particular recommendation are different questions. The reports also connect the vest discussion to threats McAfee says he has received. The New York Post said he described receiving vile messages on social media.

Breitbart reported that a source who confirmed the account to Front Office Sports said McAfee regularly received death threats. That account is attributed to the source, rather than presented as a statement from the FBI or McAfee. The immediate backdrop included McAfee’s appearance on College GameDay at the University of Tennessee.

Awful Announcing reported that he appeared not to wear a vest during that show and quoted the university apologizing for creating a perception that he was unsafe or unwelcome on campus. The outlet also said McAfee had linked his discomfort while filming there to the school’s promotion of a video and invoked its proximity to Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed.

Those are the outlet’s account of McAfee’s remarks and the university’s statement, not a confirmed explanation for the vest recommendation. Breitbart described Kirk as a conservative activist and characterized his killing as an assassination; the New York Post called him a right-wing political activist and used the same characterization.

The outlets’ descriptions differ in political wording, while both place the reported vest advice after Kirk’s killing. Neither description changes McAfee’s clarification about who he said made the suggestion. ESPN’s spokeswoman said the safety and security of the College GameDay on-air team, crew and fans was paramount.

The New York Post also reported that McAfee had written he had faced criticism for much of his life. The public accounts therefore link the vest discussion to security planning, reported threats and concern about campus safety, while leaving the precise origin of the recommendation with McAfee’s stated attribution to a security group.