With a possible lawsuit staring him in the face, ESPN show host Pat McAfee blinked on Wednesday. The story began in February, when McAfee dipped into the fetid swamp of social media to cite a rumor that the father of an Ole Miss football player had a sexual relationship with his son’s girlfriend.

Besides McAfee, Cornett and her family also called out former NFL receiver Antonio Brown and Barstool Sports for adding to the storm behind the scandalous rumors. However, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy noted that the comments from Brown never happened on any official channels, but still apologized.

McAfee admitted that it took time to issue a public apology, explaining that he wanted to first speak with the Cornett family privately. He described them as “wonderful people” and said that he was grateful for the opportunity to express his remorse directly. He said,