A recent report published by The Athletic has unveiled allegations concerning WWE commentator Pat McAfee’s conduct on his ESPN program, potentially leading to legal repercussions.
The report details an incident during the February 26, 2025, broadcast of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, which featured NFL insider Adam Schefter as a guest. According to the report, McAfee unexpectedly introduced a supposed “report” circulating on social media alleging that an eighteen-year-old female freshman at the University of Mississippi had engaged in infidelity with her boyfriend’s father.
Despite Schefter’s attempts to redirect the conversation towards Mississippi Quarterback Jaxson Dart, McAfee and his associates persisted with crude jokes and commentary regarding the unsubstantiated story. They transitioned to discussing Dart’s NFL draft prospects. The young woman in question, identified as Mary Kate Cornett, was not named directly by McAfee. The original source of the “story” was traced to YikYak, an anonymous posting platform popular among college students, then spread virally on X, accompanied by a picture of Cornett taken from her Instagram account.
McAfee was not the sole individual who addressed the fabricated story. Two personalities from Barstool Sports, among others, also reportedly commented on the matter. Cornett alleges that the widespread dissemination of this false information resulted in harassment within her college dormitory, forcing her to relocate to emergency housing and attend her classes remotely.
The article states that law enforcement officers were dispatched to her mother’s residence in Houston, Texas, in what appeared to be a “swatting” incident, which was corroborated by a police report and security footage. Cornett also claims that she received numerous offensive voicemails after her phone number was published online.
In response to the escalating situation, she and her boyfriend were compelled to issue public statements denouncing the false narrative. The family is now pursuing legal action and seeking intervention from authorities to address the harm caused by the dissemination of this defamatory information.
The story noted that “Cornett engaged legal representation and said she intends to take action against McAfee and ESPN, which airs his show, and potentially others involved in spreading the rumor.”
Cornett added, “I would like people to be held accountable for what they’ve done. You’re ruining my life by talking about it on your show for nothing but attention, but here I am staying up until 5 in the morning, every night, throwing up, not eating because I’m so anxious about what’s going to happen for the rest of my life.” She has hired legal counsel.
You can read the entire article here.
