Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett planning legal action against Pat McAfee, ESPN over viral affair scandal: Ruining my life
The Ole Miss college freshman at the center of a vile internet rumor that gained traction in late February is looking to take legal action against ESPN and Pat McAfee, who touched upon the wild accusations made against the teen on his ESPN program, as the ensuing fallout of the gossip spread has been “ruining” her life.Speaking about the nightmare that has unfolded over the last five weeks, 18-year-old Mary Kate Cornett told The Athletic she wants “people to be held accountable for what they’ve done” in giving life to an unfounded rumor that she slept with her boyfriend’s father.“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,” said Cornett, who is plotting legal action against ESPN and others possibly for their roles in “spreading the rumor,” according to The Athletic.McAfee — who did not respond to The Athletic’s messages for comment while an ESPN spokesperson declined comment — referenced the gossip on the Feb.26 installment of “The Pat McAfee Show” without specific mention of Cornett.Upon briefing guest Adam Schefter on the matter, the NFL insider responded, “So where is [Ole Miss quarterback] Jaxson Dart in all this?” as McAfee’s show was taped from the scouting combine in Indianapolis.Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown and Barstool Sports personality KFC Barstool have also come under fire for public mentions of the story.
“I (can’t) even walk on campus without people taking pictures of me or screaming my name or saying super vulgar, disgusting things to me,” Cornett told The Athletic.In late February, Cornett slammed McAfee and others in a statement shared on a GoFundMe page organized by her father, Justin, with all proceeds to be “used to provide seed capital establishing a foundation focused on helping innoce...