Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham opened up about the darker side of her growing fame on a recent episode of comedian Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast. She said she believes the FBI is watching about 20 people on her behalf.
Former ESPN sportscaster Linda Cohn has since reacted to Cunningham’s remarks and had pointed words for Pat McAfee.
McAfee recently shared threatening messages he had received earlier in October amid his controversy involving the University of Utah over a College GameDay visit, and Cohn compared his concerns with what women like Cunningham face.
Linda Cohn Uses Sophie Cunningham Example In Message to Pat McAfee
The topic came up during a conversation about the attention that comes with being on TV more. “We do have a lot of stalkers. I know I do. And, like, that’s a negative side of things that people don’t think about,” Cunningham said on Von’s podcast last week.
When Von asked whether she had stalkers, Cunningham answered: “Oh my gosh. Yeah. Like, we’ll have to check if I’m even allowed to say this, but I have, I think, 20 people kind of that the FBI are watching for me. Me alone.”
In her video, Cohn pointed to the safety concerns Cunningham raised: “But this part stopped me. We talk about the bigger crowds, the attention, the popularity. What we don’t always hear about is what these women deal with away from the court, especially someone like Sophie Cunningham.”
For Cohn, the size of the list Cunningham described was what stood out: “But for her to say that the FBI has 20 people they’re watching that are stalking Sophie Cunningham, it’s just mind-boggling to me. But I’m not shocked. I’m not shocked at all.”
Cohn’s comments also mentioned McAfee and his controversy with Utah.
Before the College GameDay broadcast, the university released a video poking fun at him, and McAfee called out the school on his show the following Monday: “I’ve never been more uncomfortable, honestly, in my life walking in front of a group of people after watching their university put out a post basically dogging me just moments before.”
While the university later deleted the video and apologized, McAfee shared the threatening messages he had received, while discussing broader safety concerns after his controversy with Utah, writing: “I’ve stayed away from my mentions and DMs this month since these back-to-back days but… I’m sure if I went in there now, I’d find some wishes for and threats of death for me.”
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That was the backdrop for Cohn’s message to McAfee: “When I think about all this hoopla surrounding Pat McAfee… Well, now you know what it feels like to be a woman, a woman like Sophie Cunningham, Pat McAfee. This happens all the time.”
The attention comes while Cunningham’s WNBA future is up in the air. Her one-year, $665,000 contract covered the 2026 season, when she averaged 7.9 points over 43 games, and the 30-year-old is now an unrestricted free agent.
Indiana went 28-16 before its season ended with a first-round exit against the Las Vegas Aces. The franchise has since moved on from general manager Amber Cox and team president Kelly Krauskopf. Whether the veteran guard returns to Indiana is now a call for a front office that was not in place when her season ended.
