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Pat McAfee is currently at the center of an ongoing controversy surrounding Mary Kate Cornett. The 18-year-old freshman at Ole Miss plans to take legal action against the 37-year-old sports analyst and ESPN for amplifying a wild rumor that completely overtook the internet at the end of February.
He offered a very indirect response to the litigious threat during the first hour of his show on Thursday— based on my interpretation. His comments were focused on an entirely different sports-related topic, but they stem from a similar foundation and sentiment.
Cornett took aim at Pat McAfee (and others) during an interview with NBC Nightly News that aired on Wednesday night. She questioned why he was so quick to discuss what she claims is a completely untrue allegation when she is not a public figure. The story, which originally started in a group chat at the University of Mississippi, quickly became the No. 1 trending topic on X on Feb. 25. This is how it was addressed on live television during a conversation with Adam Schefter at the NFL Combine:
What's going on at Ole Miss 😂😂#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/48ed4tI3ey
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 26, 2025
Mary Kate Cornett told The Athletic that she was moved into emergency housing and switched to only online courses as a result of the horrible rumors. Her inboxes on social media were immediately flooded with all kinds of disgusting hateful threats. Her phone number was also made public, which led to an influx of texts and phone calls from unknown contacts. Truly horrible stuff.
Cornett and her family want people to be held accountable for “ruining her life.” They plan to file a lawsuit against McAfee and ESPN. Monica Uddin, Cornett’s attorney, said she believes what happened to her client is cyberbullying and grounds for a defamation case.
Pat McAfee has yet to discuss the ongoing legal concern directly. Both he and his employer chose not to respond to NBC’s request for comment.
However, The Pat McAfee Show addressed its approach to internet gossip on Thursday in relation to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and the idea that he could be traded. They reminded their viewers that they do not create the narrative. They simply observe what is happening and discuss it.
— – (@Spicoli_____) April 3, 2025
Take from McAfee’s comments what you will. Everybody is going to have a different interpretation. The conversation was in the context of Dak Prescott trade rumors. It was not in response to Mary Kate Cornett. At no point did her name go to air. At no point did they discuss the potential litigation.
It should also be noted that the Pat McAfee Show often vocalizes similar reminders. This was not a one-off reminder. McAfee, Boston Connor, Ty Schmidt and Tone Digs often discuss topics, rumors and narratives that are being discussed by others. They are simply commenting on what they hear.
And yet, I would imagine that a lot of people will see the 37-second disclaimer on Thursday morning as a retort to the interview that aired on NBC. I certainly do.