Mary Kate Cornett insinuates Pat McAfee "ruined" her life after viral rumor - "I just felt so helpless"

Mary Kate Cornett has opened up about her experience after being implicated in a rumor that was amplified by public figures such as Pat McAfee. The Ole Miss student was falsely accused of being a sorority member who was sleeping with her boyfriend's father. Denying the allegations, she discussed the impact the false story had on her. In an interview on NBC Nightly News' Instagram on Wednesday, she said:

“It was so insane. It all happened so fast. I was just in shambles. I just felt so helpless and so alone because so many people were hating on me for something that I had no idea anything about.”

Cornett then addressed McAfee directly after being shown a video where he amplified the rumor on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," which went on air on Feb. 26, despite not mentioning her by name. She said that she was a private 19-year-old individual whose life had been turned upside down and questioned whether public figures like him understood the harm they were causing her. She continued,

“I want these famous people to know that I was not famous before this... I am a normal 19-year-old college freshman. That’s it. I was happy. I had a great friend group... I’m not a public figure that you can go talk about on your show to get more views... I don’t think these boys know what they’re doing to people.”

The Ole Miss college student also said that it has been hard navigating all of this and accused McAfee of never reaching out to her to give a statement or see if the news was true. She noted,

“This has affected me in such an awful way and has practically ruined my life... (Pat McAfee) never once reached out to ask me if this was true or for me to give any sort of statement to him... I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that an ESPN sports broadcaster would be talking about a 19-year-old girl’s ‘sex scandal’ that was completely false.”

The price of defamation: Mary Kate Cornett's attorney speaks on accountability

Since the story gained traction, Mary Kate Cornett has received vile messages and reportedly had her home swatted. Her attorney, Monica Uddin, said,

"“Defamation has existed for a long time. You can’t lie about someone with impunity — and that’s what has happened to Mary Kate. You can’t lie for money. Not using her name is not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card, saying ‘allegedly’ is not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card,” the attorney said. “These people are responsible for what they have done to her.”

Pat McAfee and ESPN have so far reportedly declined to respond to requests for comments by NBC.