The University of Mississippi student boyfriend was at the heart of viral internet rumours and spoke on Thursday.
Evan Solis joined his girlfriend, Mary Kate Cornett, claiming she was sleeping with her father.
“Incredible rumors about my family and Mary Kate are unacceptable and need to be addressed,” he said. I wrote it on an Instagram post. “The accusations are clearly wrong, and my faith in our relationship with Father is unshakable. He is totally innocent, unfairly vilified, and has no opportunity to speak on behalf of himself before these horrifying false statements.”
“Know that spreading outrageous accusations without taking into account truth is as unacceptable as starting the rumors themselves. What we say and believe will have real consequences for others. I pray that using these painful moments will help us learn and grow in the future.”
Cornett specifically called ESPN personality Pat McAfee, former NFL player Antonio Brown and Barstool Sports amplified “a complete and complete lie.”
McAfee has been rumoured on his honor show on TMZ-by-TMZ in an interview with NFL insider Adam Shefater this week, but Barstool sports personality Kevin Clancy discussed his personal social media accounts.
ESPN declined to comment on the post, with Dave Portnoy, sports CEO of Barstool, denying that his company reached out to spread the rumors.
“Barstool Sports, to my knowledge, did not mention or spread the rumor to any barstool-owned channel,” Portnoy said in a statement to the Post. “Our editors instinctively decided to avoid this story because it seemed likely it was manufactured. If I'm wrong about it, I'm happy to see where it was posted and revisited.”
Above gofundme pageCornett writes that she was “a victim of an intentional and coordinated cyberattack,” and hired legal representatives and forensic data investigators to investigate the issue.
She said her family submitted reports to the University of Mississippi campus police, local government and the FBI.
in Thursday evening Instagram postCornett described the rumor as “100% completely false and frankly, it is not acceptable for such a disturbing accusation to have gone viral.”
“During these difficult times, my family and I have been overwhelmed by the support from people all over the country. Thank you, it was important! I am particularly grateful for the support from people who know me enough to know how ridiculous this is,” Cornett wrote.
“It's important to note that this method of harassment and bullying is never alright. Cyberattacks based on nothing but lies and false information happen too often. This experience has awakened me to the dangers of how we are all manipulated and able to believe what we read on social media that is not true. My hope is that I can use the heartbreak and pain I have felt to help others who will experience something like this in the future.”
