Pat McAfee Under Fire for Allegedly Fueling Rumor That Led to Student's Harassment

04/01/2025 10:03 AM

Pat McAfee has his fair share of critics and is no stranger to controversy since he has often made remarks that simply didn’t sit well with people. However, it appears he is now under fire for allegedly fueling a rumor that led to a student’s harassment.

According to Katie Strang of the NY Times, on February 26, The Pat McAfee Show was being filmed in Indianapolis during the week of the NFL Scouting Combine. McAfee sat at his desk, joined by his usual group and guest Adam Schefter, an NFL insider from ESPN. Behind them, the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine logo suggested they would be talking about football, but McAfee had something else in mind.

McAfee hinted at the topic and asked Schefter, "Have you heard about Ole Miss?" One of his co-hosts mentioned a "ménage à trois," and McAfee added that the internet was talking about it. After building up suspense, McAfee explained the rumor: "An Ole Miss frat guy had a Kappa Delta girlfriend," before stating that it was "allegedly" happening.

"At this very moment, this is what's being reported everywhere online: A dad had sex with his son's girlfriend." One of the co-hosts reacted with, "Not great," while McAfee continued, "And then it became public… which is the worst possible outcome."

Schefter, looking uncomfortable, tried to change the subject by asking, "So where is (Ole Miss quarterback) Jaxson Dart in all this?" McAfee never mentioned the name of the 18-year-old woman involved, but he joked about tying the rumor into NFL Draft discussions: "We're just wondering. His dad… We're just trying to evaluate…" Another co-host added, "Ole Miss dads are slinging meat right now."

The discussion lasted about two minutes before McAfee moved on to football talk. However, it was noted that the damage was already done. Mary Kate Cornett, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Mississippi, became the subject of a malicious and unfounded rumor back in February 2025.

Five weeks earlier, she was a happy and confident college student dating another student at Ole Miss. But on February 25, an anonymous post on YikYak claimed she had been with her boyfriend's dad.

The rapid spread of this false information caused serious problems for Cornett. She was harassed online, received threats, and was publicly embarrassed. Because of this, she had to move into emergency housing and switch to online classes to stay safe. Her family, including her boyfriend and elderly grandfather, were also harassed.

As the rumor spread, Cornett took her name off her dorm room door but people still left hateful messages under it. Campus police warned her that she was a target, so she moved to emergency housing and switched to online classes.

It was stated that on February 27, early in the morning, Houston police arrived at her mother's house with their guns drawn. This was an apparent case of “swatting,” where someone makes a false crime report to send emergency responders to a home. Security camera footage and a police report reviewed by The Athletic showed that the homicide division responded to the call.

Cornett has hired legal representation and plans to take action against McAfee, ESPN—which airs his show—and possibly others involved in spreading the rumor. She stated that she wants those responsible to be held accountable, expressing frustration over the impact on her life.

"You're ruining my life by talking about it on your show just for attention, while I'm staying up until 5 in the morning, throwing up, and not eating because I'm so anxious about what's going to happen to me."

Cornett worries that the false accusation could affect her future, possibly costing her a job or leading her future children to find misinformation about her online. She and those close to her feel powerless in the situation.

"These people can say whatever they want and ruin a young girl's life forever," said Justin Cornett. "When you have a big following, you have a responsibility to society and the people you talk about. You need to understand the impact of your words. Ignoring that is, at best, ignorant and naive—and at worst, malicious, deceitful, and harmful. No one is safe from this kind of attack. It could happen to you or someone you love."

This problem shows how fast false information can spread online and hurt people. A fake rumor, shared by many, made an innocent student's life very difficult. Therefore, we’ll have to see if Pat McAfee will address the situation and apologize for the same.

What do you think about Pat McAfee's role in this controversy? Should he take responsibility for the consequences of discussing the rumor? Share your thoughts in the comments below!