“I am unhappy and I want we did not play any half in it,” mentioned Portnoy, including he understands “why the household’s pissed.”
Dave Portnoy has formally apologized after these related together with his web site, Barstool Sports activities, allegedly performed a task in amplifying a rumor about 19-year-old College of Mississippi scholar Mary Kate Cornett.
“I’d apologize, I get why the household’s pissed,” Portnoy mentioned in an interview with NBC, when requested if he had a message to Cornett. “I am unhappy and I want we did not play any half in it and I would apologize and say I want we did not.”
“I believed they have been actually silly,” he mentioned of Barstool personalities who allegedly mentioned claims the teenager was sleeping together with her boyfriend’s father — claims Cornett has since known as “100% fully false,” and “disturbing.”
“For me, I have been doing this a very long time, I believed it was clearly a pretend story. I believed we have been higher than that,” he mentioned, including that he wished to “throw up” when he found the feedback.
In a earlier assertion to Rolling Stone, Portnoy initially denied the involvement within the rumor.
“Barstool Sports activities didn’t point out or unfold this rumor on any of our Barstool owned channels,” he mentioned on the time. “Our editors instinctively made the choice to keep away from this story because it appeared there was a excessive chance it may have been fabricated. I do know considered one of our workers posted one thing on their private socials however we do not management these.”
Portnoy instructed NBC his and Cornett’s attorneys have been speaking about transfer ahead.
“I believe we’ll attempt to mediate. I do not know what we did legally improper. It is just a little totally different challenge, however morally, we have been improper,” Portnoy mentioned. “I used to be bragging that morally I believed we have been proper.”
In February, Pat McAfee and Antonio Brown mentioned the rumors about Cornett on his The Pat McAfee Present. Though McAfee did not say her identify outright, he talked about the scenario stating, “Some Ole Miss frat bro, ok? Had a Ok-D (Kappa Delta) girlfriend.”
“At this precise second, that is what’s being reported by … everyone on the web: Dad had intercourse with son’s girlfriend. After which it was made public … that is absolutely the worst-case scenario,” he added.
Video of that second was shared to X, earlier than two folks related to Barstool Sports activities allegedly shared their commentary on the scenario to the social media.
In her personal interview with NBC, Cornett shared her frustrations with the host’s feedback — saying, “I believed it was completely ridiculous that an ESPN sports activities broadcaster can be speaking a few 19-year-old woman’s ‘intercourse scandal’ that was fully false.”
Her father later posted on Fb to handle the scenario, whereas additionally sharing an announcement from his daughter.
“By now, a few of you already know my daughter, Mary Kate Cornett, has been the topic of a very and categorically false, malicious, organized and defamatory cyber assault,” he wrote. “She has been publicly doxed and our household has been compelled to take protecting measures to make sure her security.”
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In the identical submit, Mary Kate herself addressed the commentary, saying, “To not be outdone by the Bots, Irresponsible impartial social media influencers with obvious ties to Barstool Sports activities and even main public figures like Antonio Brown and Pat McAfee who hosts ESPN’s School Recreation Day have shared these utter and full lies with zero curiosity within the fact, however as an alternative spreading outlandish conjecture.”
“Nobody affiliated with these organizations ever reached out to us for remark,” she claimed.
Cornett’s attorneys now imagine “she was the sufferer of cyberbullying and has grounds for a defamation swimsuit.”
