It took Pat McAfee three months to address Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett after amplifying, during a live broadcast in April, false rumors that she was having an affair with her boyfriend’s father.
As part of his apology last month, McAfee stated that his delay in correcting the record stemmed from his desire to meet personally with Cornett and her family. In the process, McAfee ended up as the last of the mainstream sports media personalities to address the incident.
McAfee’s approach was understandable, but it was certainly not how a corporation like ESPN or Disney would typically handle the threat of a defamation lawsuit. Nevertheless, the host of ESPN’s midday program and star panelist on College GameDay was allowed to handle business his way, with the blessing of ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro.
“I think Pat wanted to deal with the family on his own terms. And my understanding is that was the cause for the delay, and there were thoughtful conversations,” Pitaro said Monday on The Press Box podcast. “I was not part of those conversations, but my understanding is that there were thoughtful and productive conversations between the family and Pat. They were satisfied, Pat was satisfied, I was happy with Pat’s on-air apology, and we move on.”
Pitaro acknowledged that the network felt an obligation to the audience to clarify the reality of Cornett’s situation, but indicated that McAfee’s wishes won out.
“We talked about that internally, but we wanted to be respectful [of] the entire situation,” Pitaro said. “And again, understanding the dynamics of Pat wanting to communicate with the family first behind the scenes was what ruled the day. And I’m at peace with that.”
In McAfee’s lengthy apology, he indicated that Cornett and her father accepted his in-person mea culpa.
It is not the first time that McAfee has been forced to apologize since joining ESPN. Previous snafus involving Caitlin Clark, the country of Canada, and Raiders owner Mark Davis also bled into McAfee’s daily ESPN show.
But it is the first time that McAfee faced potential legal action, and watched as Barstool Sports owned the news cycle with immediate, considered apologies. Yet ESPN let McAfee wait and handle the situation on his own terms, as usual — a decision Pitaro is “at peace” with.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.