Pat McAfee, a well-known ESPN personality and former NFL punter, is now facing a lawsuit that could seriously affect his career. The case stems from his involvement in spreading a false rumor about a teenager during an episode of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
The victim’s name is Mary Kate Cornett, an Ole Miss freshman. McAfee falsely alleged that Cornett had an inappropriate relationship with her boyfriend’s father, leading to severe harassment and emotional distress for the teenager. Due to the reputation of his show, this unverified story gained significant visibility.
As a result, The Athletic reports that Cornett faced severe harassment, including online abuse, doxing, and even a swatting incident. The emotional toll has been immense—she reportedly had to move into emergency housing and switch to online classes due to the harassment.
🚨BREAKING: Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett is taking legal action against Pat McAfee and ESPN alleging he amplified a false internet rumor about her.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 1, 2025
She says that the viral lie led to harassment, threats & even a swatting incident, destroying her life.
(Via The NY Times) pic.twitter.com/9NZKa42Y4L
Seeing things spiral out of control, both Mary Kate Cornett and her boyfriend spoke out, condemning the false accusations. Now, Cornett is taking legal action, deciding to pursue a lawsuit against Pat McAfee and ESPN for amplifying the harmful rumor.
Cornette drops bold threat toward Pat McAfee
Recently, Mary Kate Cornett said, “I would like people to be held accountable for what they’ve done.”
Then targeting McAfee, she added, “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.”
𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett will take legal action against Pat McAfee and ESPN for alleging he amplified the fake sex claim about her and her boyfriend’s dad.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 1, 2025
"You’re ruining my life by talking about it on your show for nothing but attention, but here I… pic.twitter.com/UTgJDa3GMc
Pat McAfee likely thought it was just a joke when he and his team joked about the matter on live TV, as they’re used to making such jokes. However, things took a serious turn this time, and Cornette’s attorney, Monica Uddin, mentioned that her team may take action against those who spread the false rumor.
