Sports Podcaster Pat McAfee Needs To Be Sued into Oblivion

Last week, we wrote about how the Supreme Court upheld the press freedoms established by New York Times v. Sullivan, which allows the media in the United States to say pretty much whatever it wants about public figures so long as it’s not malicious and doesn’t recklessly disregard the truth. It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, it empowers the press to speak truth to power without fear of legal consequences. On the other, it gives the media license to spread rumors about celebrities with little accountability.

But Sullivan only applies to public figures. When it comes to private individuals who aren’t in the public eye, the legal bar for proving defamation is much lower. And I sincerely hope Mary Kate Cornett sues Pat McAfee, ESPN, and a number of others into absolute oblivion.

For those unfamiliar with the story, per The Athletic: In February, during an ESPN broadcast covering the NFL scouting combine, sports podcaster Pat McAfee amplified and joked about a completely unverified Internet rumor involving an 18-year-old Ole Miss student. The claim, which originated on an anonymous messaging app, alleged that Cornett slept with her boyfriend’s father. The rumor had absolutely nothing to do with football. Her boyfriend is not on the college football team. His father isn’t involved with college football. Mary Kate Cornett herself has zero connection to the team. She’s just a random college freshman.

And Pat McAfee blew up her life anyway. After he gave the rumor airtime, others in the sports world jumped on board, including former NFL player Antonio Brown and figures at Barstool Sports. Cornett quickly became a target of mass harassment. She was forced to leave her dorm. She switched to online classes. She rarely leaves her room (and only in disguise). Her mother was swatted by Houston police. She received an onslaught of vile messages. Her grandfather was harassed with a phone call in the middle of the night. Someone even launched a memecoin in her name to cash in on the scandal.

All of this — every bit of it — was based on a baseless, unverified rumor that she denies, that her boyfriend denies, and that has nothing to do with football in the first place. Cornett has hired a law firm, which is exploring legal options.

It’s one thing to make up garbage about Ben Affleck or Taylor Swift. But you don’t get to ruin the life of a private citizen just because you thought it would be funny to pile on an innocent college freshman on national TV.

Source: The Athletic