WWE's Pat McAfee Issues Apology For Spreading False Rumors About Ole Miss Student

An Ole Miss student, Mary Kate Cornett, was the subject of scandalous allegations, claiming that she had cheated on her boyfriend with his own father, a prominent Texas-based private banker. The rumors went so viral that Pat McAfee caught wind of them, and during an appearance at the NFL Scouting Combine, he referenced the rumors, leading to legal action from Cornett and her family, as well as an official retraction from McAfee.

"I have since learned that the story was not true, and that my show played a role in the anguish caused to a great family, and especially to a young woman, Mary Kate Cornett," he said during "The Pat McAfee Show." "I can now happily share with you that I recently got to meet Mary Kate and her family. And I got a chance to sincerely apologize to them and acknowledge that what I said about Mary Kate was based solely on what others were saying on the internet or what had previously been reported by others, and that we had no personal knowledge about Mary Kate or her personal life."

Besides McAfee, Cornett and her family also called out former NFL receiver Antonio Brown and Barstool Sports for adding to the storm behind the scandalous rumors. However, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy noted that the comments from Brown never happened on any official channels, but still apologized.

Pat McAfee then thanked Mary Kate's father, Mr. Cornett, for the opportunity to apologize to him, since he, too, is a girl-dad, as he likely felt an attachment to the situation in hindsight. "Our program, played in his daughter, Mary Kate's, pain," he explained, before revealing that it took him as long as it did to address his comments. "As you might imagine, there was a lot going on behind the scenes since this all happened. The most important element on the timing is that I, personally, it was a decision I made, wanted to talk to the family first before addressing it publicly."

McAfee further described the Cornetts as wonderful people and expressed how thankful he was to meet them, again emphasizing how regretful he is about not just the controversy but also about his show's role in it all. "I hated watching what our show was a part of, in her interviews and reading about it. And my hope is that this can be something that we all learn from going forward. I know we certainly have," he claimed. "Our goal at this show is to make the world a happier place, a better place. To celebrate life and sports and unify folks. I, and we, don't always get it right. But we'll never stop trying." (Per NYPost).