Pat McAfee has a significant portion of critics and has often made statements about not sitting well with people, so he is not a stranger to controversy. However, he now appears to be on fire with allegedly burning rumors that led to student harassment.
According to Katie Strang of the New York Times, on February 26th, the Pat McCuffy Show was filmed in Indianapolis during the week of the NFL Scouting Combine. McAfee sat at his desk, joined by his regular group and guest Adam Schefter, an ESPN NFL insider. The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine logo behind them suggested they were talking about football, but McAfee had something else in mind.
McAfee hinted at the topic and asked Schefter. “Have you heard of Ole Miss?” One of his co-hosts is “A three-year-old household,” McAfee added that the internet is talking about it. After building the suspense, McAfee explained the rumors. “The guy from Olemis flat had a Kappa Delta girlfriend,” Before stating that it was happening “without a doubt.”
“At this moment, this is something that is reported online everywhere. Dad had sex with his son’s girlfriend. One of the co-hosts isIt’s not greatWhile McAfee continued,And it was published… this is the worst possible outcome. ”
The shifter “I tried to change the subject matter,” making it seem uncomfortable.So (Oremis Quarterback) Where is Jackson Dart? ” McAfee never mentioned the names of the 18-year-old woman involved, but he joked about linking rumors to NFL Draft debate: “We’re just wondering, his dad… we’re just trying to evaluate.…” another co-host added.My Miss Dad is throwing meat now. ”
The discussion lasted about two minutes before McAfee moved on to football talk. However, please note that damage has already been done. Mary Kate Cornett, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Mississippi, was the subject of malicious, unfounded rumours in February 2025.
Five weeks ago, she was a happy and confident university student on Ole Miss dating another student. However, on February 25, Yikyak’s anonymous post claimed she was with her boyfriend’s father.
This rapid spread of misinformation has caused serious problems for Cornett. She was harassed, threatened and publicly embarrassed online. For this reason, she had to move to emergency housing and switch to online classes to stay safe. Her family, including her boyfriend and her older grandfather, were also harassed.
As rumors spread, Cornett took her name through the door to her dorm room, but people still left a hateful message underneath. Campus police warned her that she was a target, so she moved to emergency housing and switched to online classes.
It was said that Houston police had arrived at his mother’s house with a gun painted. This is an obvious case of “swatting,” where someone has written a false crime report to send emergency responders home. Security camera footage and a police report reviewed by Athletic showed that the murder department answered the call.
Cornett is a plan to hire a legal representative and take action against McAfee, the ESPN that airs his show, and perhaps others involved in the spread of rumors. She expressed her dissatisfaction with the impact on her life and said she wanted to hold the person in charge accountable.
“You’re ruining my life by talking about it on your show just for attention. I’m up until 5am, throwing it and not eating because I’m worried about what will happen.”
Cornett is worried that the false accusations could affect her future, and is probably leading her to sacrifice her work or find misinformation online. She and those close to her feel helpless in the situation.
“These people can say whatever they want and ruin the lives of young girls forever,” Justin Cornett said. “When you have great support, you are responsible for society and the people you are talking to. You need to understand the impact of your words. It is ignorant and naive at best, and at worst, malicious, deceived and harmful. No one is safe for you or the people you love.”
This issue shows how quickly misinformation spreads online and hurts people. Fake rumors shared by many have made life a very difficult for innocent students. So you need to see if Pat McAfee will handle the situation and apologize for the same.
What do you think about Pat McAfee’s role in this controversy? Should he be held responsible for the outcome of discussing rumors? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
