FBI Director's ex-hockey teammates spill all: 'This is who Kash really is'

Kash Patel's former hockey teammates have shared what the FBI Director is really like behind the scenes.

Patel recently filed a $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic and staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick on April 20, following the outlet's bombshell investigative report detailing his alleged excessive drinking and erratic behavior.

The Atlantic's reporting cited multiple FBI officials describing Patel's unexplained absences, panic episodes, and concerning behavior patterns that raised questions about his fitness for office.

Former hockey teammates of Patel, a noted NHL fan, shared that he was very different now than he had been just a few years ago.

CNN reporter Isabelle Khurshudyan wrote, "When a player mentioned something he’d heard about Trump in the media, Patel quipped, 'Don’t believe that fake news,' multiple players on the team recounted.

“'Everyone just sort of laughed it off at the time,' said one player, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation. 'Then like a year or two later, he shows up on Fox News and he sort of has his own segment and everyone was kind of blindsided by that. We were like, ‘Whoa, this is who Coach Kash really is, I suppose.'

"Players were told that Patel couldn’t help coach anymore after the 2019 season because he 'got a really important job,' Luke said. 'Little did we know his job was being buddy buddy with Trump and all that good stuff.'"

Some of the players kept up with the FBI Director and believe the version of Patel seen at the Olympics is quite unlike how he was before joining Trump's administration.

Khurshudyan wrote, "Some of the former players have followed Patel’s career closely over the years, they said, despite not agreeing with his politics.

"Patel’s demeanor at the Olympics was unlike the committed Coach Kash they knew, several players noted. In the Olympics video that went viral, some said they barely recognized their old assistant coach, whom they knew as “intense” and "deeply serious."