CANTON — Pat McAfee is one of the most recognized national voices in sports media today. He also happened to be the holder for 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri with the Indianapolis Colts.
It was a job that Vinatieri recalled McAfee not exactly being qualified for when he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft as a punter. Vinatieri recalled the amusing story after being asked about his experience working with McAfee on Thursday, Aug. 6 during media availability for the 2026 HOF class at Umstattd Hall.
“I met him after he was drafted and he revealed that he had lied to general manager Bill Polian,” Vinatieri said. “He told him he had experience as a holder and he told me he had never held a day in his life at any level. It’s not something I was initially thrilled about. It was like, holy cow. I’ve got this guy lying to the GM and I have to deal with a guy that has never done the job before. It made me very nervous.”
Vinatieri turned to a former teammate to help McAfee learn the job.
He had McAfee hop on a plane and work with Ken Walter to learn the job. Walter was the holder for Vinatieri in New England from 2001 to 2003. Vinatieri won two Super Bowls with Walter as his holder.
“There was nobody I trusted more to help Pat than Ken,” Vinatieri said. “Everybody knows him as a jokester but Pat is a super hard worker and he threw himself into the job.”
McAfee soon began performing at a high level. He also became one of Vinatieri’s favorite teammates after the inauspicious start.
“We had a lot of fun together,” Vinatieri said. “He was always talking to the other units. I remember listening to him sometimes and thinking, ‘Oh my God. He’s going to get us in trouble.’ He did a great job, though. He’s one of my favorite guys I played with. He’s a funny dude, but he’s also a guy that can do damn near anything he sets his mind to because of his work ethic.”
Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com
On X: @chickmanREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: White lie led to Pat McAfee learning on the fly as Adam Vinatieri’s holder
Reporting by Cliff Hickman, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cliff Hickman, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
