Pat McAfee has apologized to University of Mississippi student Mary Kate Cornett, nearly five months after he discussed an unsupported rumor about her on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’
The false rumor about Cornett’s romantic life circulated on social media in February, and it was quickly amplified by Barstool Sports and McAfee. Although McAfee didn’t mention Cornett’s name on-air, he directly addressed the rumor during a show at the NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 26.
On the July 23 edition of ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ the former NFL punter apologized to Cornett.
‘I have since learned that the story was not true, and that my show played a role in the anguish caused to a great family, and especially to a young woman, Mary Kate Cornett,’ McAfee said. ‘I think you all know from tuning into this program that I never want to be a source of negativity or contribute to another human’s suffering.
‘I can now happily share with you that I recently got to meet Mary Kate and her family, and I got a chance to sincerely apologize to them and acknowledge that what I said about Mary Kate was based solely on what others were saying on the internet or what had previously been reported by others, and that we had no personal knowledge about Mary Kate or her personal life.’
Cornett spoke with The Athletic in April and said she received an onslaught of backlash over “something completely false.’ Her phone number was released online and she had to move into emergency housing and switch to online courses for her safety, she said.
She also told NBC News ‘it was absolutely ridiculous that an ESPN sports broadcaster would be talking about a 19-year-old girl’s ‘sex scandal’ that was completely false.’ Cornett added she intended to take legal action against McAfee and ESPN for helping spread the rumor.
The rumor hadn’t been mentioned on the show since then, but McAfee vaguely addressed it during a live event he hosted in Pittsburgh less than two weeks after The Athletic article. He said he ‘didn’t want to add any more negativity as it was taking place” and would try to ‘make some sort of silver lining in a very terrible situation.’ Other outlets like Barstool issued apologies for their part in spreading the rumor.
Regarding why the topic hadn’t been addressed on his show for months, McAfee said Wednesday ‘there was a lot going on behind the scenes.’ He added he personally wanted to talk to Cornett and her family before he addressed it publicly.
‘I can now say that I had the opportunity to meet (Cornett’s family), chat with them, and they’re wonderful people. And I’m very thankful that they gave me the opportunity to tell them how sorry I was that this all happened, and that our program was a part of this,’ McAfee said. ‘I deeply regret all the pain that this caused. I hated watching what our show was a part of, in her interviews and reading about it. And my hope is that this can be something that we all learn from going forward.’
USA TODAY Sports has reached out to Cornett’s lawyer for comment.