Pat McAfee’s Neck Brace Has People Talking — Here’s What the ESPN Host Said

After Pat McAfee showed up in a neck brace, fans started asking questions. The ESPN personality and former NFL punter has become known for being loud and unpredictable.

So when fans saw him braced up after WrestleMania 42 weekend, folks wanted to know if he was seriously hurt or just being dramatic for the camera.

Pat said the neck brace came from a very real wrestling moment. During the April 20 episode of The Pat McAfee Show, he explained that he hurt his neck after taking a splash through a table from Jelly Roll and an RKO from Randy Orton.

The moment happened during his involvement in the Undisputed WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42.

"I'm wearing this thing since I got Jelly Roll'd," Pat said, per Bleacher Report. "I'm wearing this just to keep it secure. They ran scans. I'll get it back tomorrow morning. I'm very grateful and hopeful that I will be completely healthy. But there is some soreness, obviously."

He went on to joke that the neck pain was not the only souvenir he took home from the match. “Got some cuts and bruises, too,” he said. "Hand right here, cut. I think that's because the table exploded. I got some shrapnel, and somehow I got a splinter in my crotch."

Pat has been through injuries before. Before he became one of ESPN’s biggest on-air personalities, he played for the Indianapolis Colts and became one of the NFL’s most recognizable specialists.

The Colts drafted him in 2009, and he later became a two-time Pro Bowler and a franchise record holder in punting average. However, his body paid the price. When he retired from the NFL at 29, Pat said knee problems played a major role.

"Staring down my third knee surgery in four years, with more knee surgeries certain for the future, (injuries were) definitely a part of (my decision)," Pat told the Colts. "My knees have really taken a beating. For the last half of the season, I couldn't really walk much on days that I kicked. I would stay in bed and ice my knees. I felt like a 90-year-old man. Going into work I was like, 'There has to be more to work than kicking balls.'"

But fans probably do not need to worry about The Pat McAfee Show disappearing. Pat has not announced that the neck issue will stop his ESPN work.

In fact, he kept moving after WrestleMania and continued showing up during a huge stretch for football coverage, including the NFL Draft.

The show still airs weekdays on ESPN, and ESPN says it has been thriving. In the first quarter of 2026, The Pat McAfee Show averaged 520,000 viewers across linear and digital platforms, marking its best Q1 ever, per ESPN.

January was bigger, with the show averaging 575,000 viewers, its best month in show history.