The face of SmackDown Pat McAfee once found himself in the thick of things when he contemplated suicide back in 2007.
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Pat McAfee is a man that wears many hats. After an eight-season-long NFL career, McAfee was officially signed to WWE in 2018. A year earlier in 2017, Pat trained with Rip Rogers as a professional wrestler. Today, McAfee is a color commentator( on a hiatus) for the Blue Brand, Smackdown. In addition, he is the host of his podcast “The Pat McAfee Show” and a sports analyst on ESPN’s College GameDay.
As a wrestling fanatic, McAfee’s first appearance on WWE programming as a wrestler was on NXT in a feud with Adam Cole. One of the most noteworthy highlights of his wrestling career was his WrestleMania debut match with the current Money in the Bank winner Austin Theory.
After successfully defeating Theory, he engaged in an impromptu match against the former CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon. The outcome of the second match wasn’t the same as the first as Pat found himself on the receiving end of a series of clotheslines from the then 70-year-old.
In his most recent match, the former football punter defeated Happy Corbin at the PPV event of SummerSlam 2022. McAfee’s long-term contract with the company has so far been fruitful. However, McAfee’s career always wasn’t as bright as it seems now.
Pat McAfee reveals he contemplated suicide following Backyard Brawl in 2007
Speaking with Sports Illustrated in a recent interview, Pat recalled his darkest days when he considered taking his own life. Before he retired from football in 2017, Pat was a recognized two-time Pro Bowl punter for the Indianapolis Colts.
His real troubled past was even before this. Almost fifteen years ago, when Pat was a punter for the team of West Virginia Mountaineers, he missed two crucial first-half field goals against the arch-rival of the Mountaineers, Pittsburgh.
The misses at goals of 20 and 32 yards caused West Virginia University to lose at the Milan Puskar Stadium. The loss also came with a heavy price as WVU would not qualify to play in the Bowl Championship Series. After suffering the loss, McAfee received death threats, and his Car and Yard were totaled.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to live anymore,” McAfee stated. “My life changed immediately that day. It was a terrible f***** night, to be honest with you. It was like something out of a movie. I just drove. I got all the way to Virginia through Maryland. I was gone for a couple days. I drove, parked, slept and kept past troubles are still asidn’t know where I was headed. I didn’t know what was coming next.”
Although Pat McAfee’s life and career are in a better place now, his past troubles are still as indelible as it is unforgettable.
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