Dave Portnoy thinks Barstool Sports should be praised, not sued, for quickly recognizing the viral rumor featuring Ole Miss freshman Mary Kate Cornett was fake.
Earlier this year, Cornett was the victim of a false internet rumor about her relationship with her boyfriend. The rumor gained traction on social media, and Pat McAfee amplified it while his show was airing on ESPN. Barstool Sports personalities Jack McGuire (Jack Mac) and Kevin Clancy (KFC Barstool) also amplified it. Both reacted to the way the internet was reacting to the viral rumor, albeit not on Barstool channels.
In the wake of a false rumor upending her life, Cornett and her family have threatened legal action against Barstool and ESPN, recently taking more specific aim at McAfee.
During the latest episode of The Unnamed Show with Dave Portnoy, Kirk Minihane, and Ryan Whitney, the Barstool founder addressed the story about Cornett. Portnoy questioned McAfee’s decision to make a loose reference to the story on ESPN and praised Barstool’s judgment for opting to skip covering the rumor on its channels.
“We did not allow any of that on Barstool,” Portnoy said. “McAfee talked about it, he brought it up on ESPN, it’s on ESPN, on his show. He didn’t say the name, but the story was very viral, and he alluded to it.”
Portnoy noted that anybody digging into the story would have quickly realized it was a fake rumor.
“This was on an Ole Miss Yik Yak, anybody can put anything,” Portnoy said. “They doctored photos, somebody who knew her ran with it and she wanted no part of this story. And pretty obvious to me that it was cooked, but it was one of those viral things.”
While Barstool may not have posted a story on the rumor, Cornett named the brand after Jack Mac, and KFC Barstool discussed it separately on their personal social media platforms. Clancy made a two-minute video reacting to the story as it was starting to spread on social media.
“We decided it’s not going on our channels. I would have told Kevin and Jack Mac don’t even talk about it at all if they asked me,” Portnoy continued while noting McAfee probably wishes he didn’t bring it up on ESPN even though he kept his reference vague.
“Does McAfee, is that little of a different standard when you’re on ESPN? I think it kinda is,” Portnoy said. “We stopped it. Somebody put it in a draft or whatever and it’s like, ‘we’re not posting this. This is not what we’re going to cover.’ Weirdly, I think we should be getting praised. We said no! We’re like, this is not what we’re gonna cover. Except KFC Barstool and Jack Mac did cover it.”
Still, Portnoy said he can see Barstool getting sued by Cornett, even after having the foresight to not write about the story on their network.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com