Former Colts Punter Pat McAfee Almost Killed a Team Doctor With a Kick That Went Wrong
Pat McAfee was one of the most accurate punters in the NFL during his career, but one kicking mistake almost turned tragic when he missed the practice net during a game.
McAfee was booting a few warm-up punts when one of his attempts went right over the net and straight into the air. The Pro Bowler cringed as the ball hurdled toward the ground and right into the team bench. Thankfully, no one got seriously hurt by the flying projectile.
Pat McAfee’s NFL career
Pat McAfee isn’t just the fun-loving personality covering the NFL today. He was actually one of the best punters in the entire league when he was still playing football.
McAfee played eight seasons in the NFL, and all of them were with the Indianapolis Colts. He was selected by the Colts in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft, and he jumped in as the starting punter in year one.
McAfee served as the starting punter and holder for all his eight seasons in Indianapolis. He made two Pro Bowls and was even named a First-Team All-Pro in 2014 as the best punter in football.
McAfee retired from the NFL to start a career in sports media
In an unexpected move, McAfee quit on his football career at the age of 29. The ex-punter dealt with knee injuries his entire career, and he had bigger plans for his life at the time. He easily could’ve continued kicking at an elite level.
McAfee retired from the NFL in 2017 and joined Barstool Sports as a sports personality and podcast host. He started his own podcast titled The Pat McAfee Show, and his media career took off.
McAfee has since moved on from Barstool and started his own radio show. He’s become a pioneer in the sports betting landscape, and he recently partnered with FanDuel.
The Pat McAfee Show has become one of the most popular media products in the sports world, and McAfee recently told a story on the radio about his missed kick that nearly killed a man.
McAfee almost killed a team doctor after a practice kick went wrong
On Monday, McAfee told a hilarious story on his radio show about a kicking gaff from his playing days.
I missed the net one time and almost killed a guy. It actually scraped the top of the metal top thing, so it continued to spiral, but it took a little bit off. It landed on the other side by where the net was, and a doctor was standing there. I don’t know if it hit him directly in the shoulder or in the head or right behind him, but he kind of got startled. I just jogged onto the field and had to act like it didn’t happen, but like 15 guys and fans saw it all happen, so when I jogged back, there was just an entire group that was like ‘did you miss the net? You missed the net!’
Pat McAfee
McAfee went on to say he’s never seen any other NFL kicker miss the practice net like he did that day. Thankfully, it didn’t cause any serious damage.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
