{
  "id": 8147202,
  "title": "Pat McAfee facing backlash after viewers catch him apparently smoking live on ESPN",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/pat-mcafee-facing-backlash-after-viewers-catch-him-apparently-smoking",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T01:49:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/pat-mcafee-facing-backlash-viewers-004742026.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pat McAfee is facing backlash after viewers caught him smoking live on ESPN's \"The Pat McAfee Show.\" The former NFL kicker, known for his active presence in the media, appeared to be smoking for a few seconds during Thursday's live episode of his show. The viral clip has garnered over a million views on X. McAfee responded to the clip by writing \"little sage never hurt nobody\" on his X account, where he often shares thoughts on social media.\n\nSports fans questioned whether he was smoking marijuana during the show, with some criticizing him while others took no issue with his actions. ESPN has not addressed the video circulating online, but McAfee appeared to respond to it on social media. His past behavior includes smoking on set at the 2025 NFL Draft and openly discussing his weed consumption on an episode of \"All the Smoke.\"",
  "summary": "Fans noticed during Thursday's show that McAfee appeared to be smoking on set.",
  "key_points": [
    "Pat McAfee caught smoking live on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show",
    "Former NFL kicker appeared to smoke for few seconds during Thursday episode",
    "McAfee responded on X: \"little sage never hurt nobody\""
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}