The Athletic\u2019s most-read story of 2025 had very little to do with sports. Instead, it was Katie Strang\u2019s April feature about Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett, in which her life was turned upside down after Pat McAfee and others amplified false rumors about her on their platforms.<\/p>\n
The Athletic says that \u2066@KatieJStrang<\/a>\u2069\u2019s Mary Kate Cornett story\u2014written during McAfee\/ESPN\u2019s months-long silence\u2014was the most-read story on the site in 2025. https:\/\/t.co\/t00ecVfJT3<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) January 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The piece \u2014 ESPN\u2019s Pat McAfee and others amplified a false rumor. A teenager\u2019s life was \u2018destroyed\u2019<\/a> \u2014 detailed how anonymous social media accounts falsely accused the 18-year-old college freshman of sleeping with her boyfriend\u2019s father, and how that lie followed her everywhere. The story went viral in February, and McAfee referenced it on his ESPN show during a segment with Adam Schefter at the NFL Draft Combine.<\/p>\n Strang\u2019s story gave Cornett and her family a platform to explain how she became collateral damage in someone else\u2019s content cycle and the devastating impact it had on all of their lives. Cornett moved into emergency housing, switched to online courses, and faced relentless harassment.<\/p>\n \u201cThey elevated a lie from the worst corners of (X) to millions of general sports fans just to get a few more clicks and ultimately a few more dollars,\u201d her lawyer, Monica Uddin, told The Athletic. \u201cWhile they don\u2019t have to deal with it after it airs, the lie is chained to Mary Kate for the rest of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n The story named McAfee specifically<\/a>, along with Barstool Sports personalities Jack Mac and KFC, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown, and ESPN St. Louis radio host Doug Vaughn. But McAfee\u2019s platform was the biggest, and his involvement carried the most weight. His show airs daily on ESPN, reaching millions of viewers.<\/p>\n McAfee didn\u2019t mention Cornett by name during the segment, but he and his crew discussed the rumors in enough detail to make the target obvious. They called them allegations and said \u201callegedly\u201d repeatedly, but the damage was done. The story had been legitimized<\/a> by one of ESPN\u2019s most prominent voices.<\/p>\n Cornett\u2019s family threatened legal action<\/a> almost immediately. Barstool Sports responded quickly<\/a>, with Dave Portnoy<\/a> and other personalities issuing public apologies<\/a> within days. Portnoy admitted what happened was \u201cmorally wrong\u201d and vowed for tighter editorial oversight<\/a> at Barstool.<\/p>\n McAfee stayed silent for months. He referenced the situation vaguely in April<\/a>, saying he had \u201ca lot of people saying that I should be sued\u201d and vowing to make things right. But it wasn\u2019t until late July \u2014 five months after the initial segment \u2014 that McAfee finally apologized on air.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d McAfee said during a prepared statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n McAfee said his delay in addressing the situation was due to his wanting to meet with Cornett and her family before going public. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro later said he was \u201cat peace\u201d with how McAfee handled it<\/a>, noting that the host wanted to deal with the family on his own terms.<\/p>\n Awful Announcing named the Cornett controversy the worst sports media story of 2025<\/a>, noting that while McAfee and Barstool moved forward with record ratings and lucrative business deals, Cornett retreated into the anonymity she never asked to lose.<\/p>\n \u201cOne would like to imagine that lessons were learned and new policies were put in place to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents happening again,\u201d AA\u2019s Sean Keeley wrote. \u201cBut if we\u2019ve learned anything about the SMBIC (Sports Media Bro Industrial Complex) over the past year, it\u2019s that they don\u2019t take kindly to guardrails, policies, standards, or reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n That The Athletic\u2019s most-read story of 2025 was about Mary Kate Cornett says something about what resonated with readers this year. It was a story about accountability, or the lack of it, and what happens when sports media reaches for relevance at the expense of basic responsibility.<\/p>\n The matter was settled between McAfee and the Cornett family, with Mary Kate\u2019s father telling NBC News<\/a> it was resolved \u201cto each party\u2019s satisfaction.\u201d Cornett has since returned to the anonymity she deserves.<\/p>\n \t