{"id":2467078,"date":"2025-07-26T14:39:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T18:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-months-after-pushing-fake-viral-story-espns-pat-mcafee-issues-on-air-apology\/"},"modified":"2025-07-26T14:40:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T18:40:16","slug":"five-months-after-pushing-fake-viral-story-espns-pat-mcafee-issues-on-air-apology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-months-after-pushing-fake-viral-story-espns-pat-mcafee-issues-on-air-apology\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Months After Pushing Fake Viral Story, ESPN&#8217;s Pat McAfee Issues On-Air Apology"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffive-months-after-pushing-fake-viral-story-espns-pat-mcafee-issues-on-air-apology%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2467078&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>ESPN host Pat McAfee issued a full apology after citing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-announces-investigation-into-andrew-brown-jr-shooting\/\" title=\"FBI Announces Investigation Into Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting\">false internet rumor<\/a> in February involving the father of an Ole Miss football player and his son&#8217;s girlfriend, Mary Kate Cornett. Though McAfee never named individuals, the rumor caused significant harm to Cornett, who responded by accusing McAfee and others of spreading defamatory and baseless claims through social media. While others connected to the rumor apologized or retracted their statements earlier, McAfee delayed addressing the controversy until recently, when he met Cornett and her family to apologize sincerely. The family expressed satisfaction with the resolution, with Cornett&#8217;s father highlighting the importance of McAfee&#8217;s genuine apology and the start of a healing process.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a possible lawsuit staring him in the face, ESPN show host Pat McAfee blinked on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The story began in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/espn-pat-mcafee-facing-massive-lawsuit-internet-rumor-scandal-throwing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February<\/a>, when McAfee dipped into the fetid swamp of social media to cite a rumor that the father of an Ole Miss football player had a sexual relationship with his son&rsquo;s girlfriend.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although McAfee never named names, citing the rumor about a University of Mississippi student led to a deluge of publicity that painted Mary Kate Cornett, 18, in a highly unflattering light.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cornett fired back on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/stand-with-mary-kate-against-defamatory-cyber-attacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GoFundMe page<\/a> saying she was the &ldquo;victim of a deliberate and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >coordinated cyberattack spreading categorically false<\/a> and defamatory information.&rdquo; Then she named names.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Irresponsible independent social media influencers with apparent ties to Barstool Sports and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-bob-dylan-became-an-fbi-target-it-all-started-with-the-kennedy-assasination\/\" title=\"Bob Dylan&#039;s FBI Targeting: It Began with JFK&#039;s Assassination\">major public figures<\/a> like Antonio Brown and Pat McAfee who hosts ESPN&rsquo;s College Game Day have d these utter and complete lies with zero interest in the truth, but instead <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/espn-pat-mcafee-facing-massive-lawsuit-over-internet-rumor-scandal-coordinated-cyberattack\/\" title=\"ESPN, ... Facing Massive Lawsuit Over Internet ... Scandal: &#039;Coordinated Cyberattack&#039;\">spreading outlandish conjecture<\/a>,&rdquo; she wrote.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other figures connected with the rumor apologized or pulled back, but McAfee held back, issuing a comment in April that he wanted to &ldquo;make some sort of silver lining in a very terrible situation,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/awfulannouncing.com\/espn\/pat-mcafee-on-air-apology-mary-kate-cornett-scandal-ole-miss.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Awful Announcing<\/a>. Cornett, meanwhile, hired legal representation as a possible first step in a lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That moment arrived Wednesday, as McAfee finally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/espns-pat-mcafee-shills-taylor-swift-says-needs-super-bowl-ring-bizarre-segment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">addressed<\/a> the issue with a full-on apology.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;As a lot of you know, on February 26 of this year, we were down at the Combine on this particular program. We discussed a very viral internet story about an Ole Miss college student. We weren&rsquo;t clear at that time where the story originated from. It was all over the internet. Yet by the time we talked about it, the story was everywhere,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;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,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McAfee added, &ldquo;I never want to be a source of negativity or contribute to another human&rsquo;s suffering. And I can now happily  with you that I recently got to meet Mary Kate and her family.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;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,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-pat-mcafee-drops-bomb-olympic-boxer-imane-khelif-female-opponent-gets-obliterated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">McAfee<\/a> tried to indicate he had a bond with the family.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;As a girl dad, I also was very thankful for the opportunity to let Mr. Cornett know that I was wildly regretful for the part that our show, our program, played in his daughter, Mary Kate&rsquo;s, pain,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;I know many of you are wondering why I, or we, haven&rsquo;t addressed this topic until now. It&rsquo;s a fair question. But as you might imagine, there was a lot going on behind the scenes since this all happened. The most important element on the timing is that I, personally, it was a decision I made, wanted to talk to the family first before addressing it publicly,&rdquo; McAfee added.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;And I can now say that I had the opportunity to meet them, chat with them, and they&rsquo;re wonderful people. And I&rsquo;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,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;The matter was settled to each party&rsquo;s satisfaction,&rdquo; Justin Cornett, Mary Kate&rsquo;s father, said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6511700\/2025\/07\/23\/pat-mcafee-apology-ole-miss-student-false-rumor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;It was refreshing to stand by Mary Kate&rsquo;s side and see a man that made a mistake look her in the eyes and apologize with sincerity,&rdquo; he said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/pat-mcafee-apologizes-college-student-false-rumor-rcna220613\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC<\/a>. &ldquo;Now the healing can begin.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Facing a potential lawsuit, ESPN host Pat McAfee conceded on Wednesday. The controversy started in February when McAfee referenced a social media rumor alleging that the father of an Ole Miss football player was involved with his son&#8217;s girlfriend. Although he did not mention any names, this led to widespread negative attention toward 18-year-old Mary Kate Cornett, who responded by calling it a targeted cyberattack spreading false and defamatory claims. She also accused certain influencers and public figures, including McAfee, of irresponsibly sharing baseless rumors without concern for the truth.<\/p>\n<p>While others connected to the rumor apologized or withdrew their statements, McAfee initially refrained from doing so. In April, he expressed hope to find some positive outcome from the situation. Meanwhile, Cornett sought legal counsel as she considered suing. On Wednesday, McAfee issued a full apology acknowledging that the story was untrue and regretting his role in causing distress to Cornett and her family.<\/p>\n<p>He explained that during a February broadcast at the Combine, they discussed a viral internet story about an Ole Miss student without knowing its origin but noted it had already spread widely online. He admitted he had no personal knowledge about Cornett or her life and expressed remorse for contributing to her suffering.<\/p>\n<p>McAfee shared that he recently met Mary Kate and her family in person to apologize sincerely. He emphasized his regret as a father himself and said he wanted to address the matter publicly only after speaking with them privately first.<\/p>\n<p>Mary Kate&#8217;s father confirmed that the issue was resolved satisfactorily for all parties involved and appreciated McAfee&#8217;s genuine apology as an important step toward healing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2467079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/McAfee.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5851,37009,52805],"class_list":["post-2467078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-espn","tag-pat-mcafee","tag-viral-story"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/McAfee.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2467078"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2467082,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467078\/revisions\/2467082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2467079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2467078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2467078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2467078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}