Pat McAfee Promises ‘Silver Lining’ After College Student Plans Legal Action

11 months ago

Mary Kate Cornett, a 19-year-old freshman at Ole Miss, says her life was derailed by a false, viral rumor accusing her of having an affair with her boyfriend’s father. The unverified claim took off online and gained traction after Pat McAfee discussed it on his ESPN show, without naming Cornett but giving enough details for viewers to identify her.

The fallout was immediate, Cornett says she became the target of a coordinated cyberattack that involved AI-generated content, fake screenshots, and manipulated images, all amplified by bot accounts and reckless social media posts.

Cornett is now preparing to take legal action against Pat McAfee, ESPN, and others who helped spread the rumor, including figures at Barstool Sports. According to a GoFundMe set up by her father, she was forced to relocate to emergency housing and switch to online classes after facing relentless harassment.

Barstool’s Dave Portnoy has since issued a public apology, calling the situation “sad” and admitting the brand was morally wrong. Meanwhile, McAfee has not directly apologized but vaguely addressed the controversy at a recent event, promising a “silver lining,” a response many critics are calling tone-deaf.

Transcript

00:00Mary Kay Cornett's life has been turned upside down, all because of a false viral rumor that

00:05spread like wildfire across the internet. And now, the people who helped fuel it are finally

00:10facing the heat and speaking out. According to reports, it all started with a sex scandal that

00:16never actually happened. Cornett, a 19-year-old freshman at Ole Miss, was accused online of

00:22sleeping with her boyfriend's dad. Then American sports analyst and former Indianapolis Colts

00:27punter, Pat McAfee, brought it up on his ESPN show, The Pat McAfee Show, which airs on YouTube.

00:33Now, before moving forward, I should note the February 26th episode had an interesting disclaimer

00:38in the beginning, stating the show's opinions are their own and do not reflect their boss or ESPN.

00:44So, during the show, McAfee asked the panel of men, have you heard about Ole Miss? To which the cast

00:49starts to make jokes of the rumors spreading. All about KDs, I think. Parents weekend's gonna be lit.

00:54Well, I think they're actually not doing it this way. Now, McAfee never said Cornett's name,

01:00but after he shared enough details of the rumor to his 3.2 million followers,

01:04the Ole Miss college student's identity became easy to find. Allegedly.

01:09This is a story we know. Allegedly. At this exact moment, this is what is being reported by

01:14everybody on the internet. The day after the show aired, reports state 19-year-old Cornett came

01:20forward as the victim of a deliberate and coordinated cyber attack. And according to a

01:25GoFundMe page created by her father, the false rumor that she slept with her boyfriend's dad was

01:30just the beginning. Cornett says the smear campaign included AI-generated videos, fake screenshots,

01:36and manipulated photos, all spread by reckless social media users and amplified by thousands

01:41of bought accounts. Now, the New York Post reports that Mary-Kate Cornett is preparing to take legal

01:47action against Pat McAfee and ESPN for amplifying the viral false affair scandal that ruined her life.

01:54During an NBC News exclusive, Cornett says she was flooded with harassment and shared how people

01:59were calling her phone, sending her disgusting messages, even taking photos of her in public.

02:05Cornett stated she had to move into emergency housing, switch to online classes, and noted the

02:09stress made her physically sick. Reports state Dave Portnoy, the face of Barstool Sports,

02:15has now apologized, saying, I'm sad, and I wish we didn't play any part in it. As for Pat McAfee,

02:21he hasn't apologized officially, but at a recent event, McAfee seemingly addressed the controversy

02:26without naming Cornett and promised a silver lining.

02:29Never ever want to be a part of anything negative in anybody's life.

02:35But what do you think? Should Cornett hold those who helped spread the lies responsible?

02:39Share your thoughts below and follow us everywhere at What's Trending.

Pat McAfee Promises ‘Silver Lining’ After College Student Plans Legal Action

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