Mary Kate Cornett story was The Athletic’s most-read article of 2025

The Athletic’s most-read story of 2025 had very little to do with sports. Instead, it was Katie Strang’s 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.

The Athletic says that ⁦@KatieJStrang⁩’s Mary Kate Cornett story—written during McAfee/ESPN’s months-long silence—was the most-read story on the site in 2025. https://t.co/t00ecVfJT3

— Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) January 1, 2026

The piece — ESPN’s Pat McAfee and others amplified a false rumor. A teenager’s life was ‘destroyed’ — detailed how anonymous social media accounts falsely accused the 18-year-old college freshman of sleeping with her boyfriend’s 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.

Strang’s story gave Cornett and her family a platform to explain how she became collateral damage in someone else’s 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.

“They 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,” her lawyer, Monica Uddin, told The Athletic. “While they don’t have to deal with it after it airs, the lie is chained to Mary Kate for the rest of her life.”

The story named McAfee specifically, 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’s platform was the biggest, and his involvement carried the most weight. His show airs daily on ESPN, reaching millions of viewers.

McAfee didn’t 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 “allegedly” repeatedly, but the damage was done. The story had been legitimized by one of ESPN’s most prominent voices.

Cornett’s family threatened legal action almost immediately. Barstool Sports responded quickly, with Dave Portnoy and other personalities issuing public apologies within days. Portnoy admitted what happened was “morally wrong” and vowed for tighter editorial oversight at Barstool.

McAfee stayed silent for months. He referenced the situation vaguely in April, saying he had “a lot of people saying that I should be sued” and vowing to make things right. But it wasn’t until late July — five months after the initial segment — that McAfee finally apologized on air.

“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,” McAfee said during a prepared statement.

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 “at peace” with how McAfee handled it, noting that the host wanted to deal with the family on his own terms.

Awful Announcing named the Cornett controversy the worst sports media story of 2025, 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.

“One would like to imagine that lessons were learned and new policies were put in place to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents happening again,” AA’s Sean Keeley wrote. “But if we’ve learned anything about the SMBIC (Sports Media Bro Industrial Complex) over the past year, it’s that they don’t take kindly to guardrails, policies, standards, or reflection.”

That The Athletic’s 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.

The matter was settled between McAfee and the Cornett family, with Mary Kate’s father telling NBC News it was resolved “to each party’s satisfaction.” Cornett has since returned to the anonymity she deserves.