Following Dave Portnoy’s apology regarding his company’s contributions to the spread of a rumor about Ole Miss freshman Mary Kate Cornett, Barstool Sports personalities Kevin Clancy and Jack McGuire issued their own apologies. In a video shared on X on Friday, Clancy, known as “KFC,” expressed regret for posting a video that propagated the unfounded rumor that Cornett had an affair with her boyfriend’s father.
“I want to extend my deepest and most sincere apologies,” Clancy said. “I’m genuinely sorry to Mary Kate Cornett, her boyfriend, her father, her parents, friends, family—anyone negatively affected by my poor decision to create a really lame and irresponsible piece of content about this rumor.” He recounted the events briefly, admitting that as the father of a daughter, he regretted engaging with gossip about someone who is not a public figure. “I’ve been doing this for a very long time and I know better than to engage in gossip and salacious rumors, especially about someone who is not in the public eye,” he stated. “Professionally speaking, I am much better than that. Personally, I just feel real bad. I should have paused to imagine how this would affect them.” Clancy concluded by offering a private apology if possible, and a willingness to assist in making things right.
Apology for post about Mary Kate Cornett. I shouldn’t have made that video, it was stupid and lame on many levels. pic.twitter.com/UGXiT9T6cL
— KFC (@KFCBarstool) April 11, 2025
Shortly after Clancy’s video, McGuire took to X to address his own recent comments about the situation. “In February, I made a few comments surrounding the horrible rumors about Mary Kate Cornett’s alleged affair. I now understand those rumors are fake and the affair did not happen. I regret these comments and want to apologize to Mary Kate, her boyfriend, and both of their families. I will learn from this massive mistake,” he wrote. He also included a link to a GoFundMe campaign aimed at helping victims of cyberbullying.
In February, I made a few comments surrounding the horrible rumors about Mary Kate Cornett’s alleged affair. I now understand those rumors are fake and the affair did not happen. I regret these comments and want to apologize to Mary Kate, her boyfriend, and both of their families.
— Jack Mac (@JackMacCFB) April 11, 2025
It is noteworthy that both of their apologies followed closely after Portnoy’s comments to NBC News. He stated that while he felt they were not in the wrong legally, morally they had erred. In contrast, Barstool Sports opted not to share any content related to Cornett on their official platforms, unlike ESPN and Pat McAfee, who briefly discussed the topic on his show without naming her. McAfee later indicated during an event that he never intended to contribute to negativity in anyone’s life and sought to avoid exacerbating the situation surrounding Cornett.
“Just like the current situation that is happening, where I have a lot of people saying that I should be sued, I want to say this: I never, ever want to be a part of anything negative in anybody’s life, ever,” he said. “We will try to figure that out and make some sort of silver lining in a very terrible situation.”
