Mary Kate Cornett takes aim at Pat McAfee over handling of viral rumor: Absolutely ridiculous

Mary Kate Cornett continued to fight back against the people she feels helped amplify the vile internet rumor that she said “ruined” her life. The Ole Miss freshman became internet fodder after a wild social media claim — that she had been sleeping with her boyfriend’s father — spread like wildfire.It was briefly discussed on “The Pat McAfee Show,” among other sports talk shows and by sports personalities. In her second interview in as many days, Cornett hit back at McAfee and those who gave credence to the unfounded accusations during a sitdown with NBC Nightly News that aired on Wednesday. “I’m not a public figure that you can go talk about on your show to get more views,” Cornett said.The 18-year-old Houston native told The Athletic in an article published on Tuesday — and reiterated to NBC News — that she was planning legal action against McAfee and ESPN, whom she had taken aim when she first spoke out in response to the nasty accusations. McAfee nor ESPN have not publicly commented on the matter. Cornett later added, in an article published on NBC News’ website, that McAfee “never once reached out to ask me if this was true or for me to give any sort of statement to him.”“I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that an ESPN sports broadcaster would be talking about a 19-year-old girl’s ‘sex scandal’ that was completely false,” she said.McAfee, whose popular show airs on the Worldwide Leader in Sports, referenced the salacious and unfounded gossip during his program on Feb.26 with ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter sitting in the guest seat.Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown and Barstool Sports personality KFC Barstool have also been criticized for posts they made about the rumor. Cornett’s attorney, Monica Uddin, argued that what has happened to the Ole Miss freshman is tantamount to cyberbullying and defamation. “Defamation has existed for a long time.

You can’t lie about someone with impunity — and that�...