PAT McAfee issued an on-air apology for bringing up a false claim that a model expects a baby conceived by NFL owner Mark Davis.
The ESPN star personality spoke about influencer Hayden Hopkins, 26, and the Las Vegas Raiders owner Davis, 69, on his self-titled program on Tuesday.
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Hopkins announced on Monday that she was expecting a baby later this year.
Numerous social media accounts, including aggregator Dov Kleiman, made a rumor and connected Hopkins’ baby to Davis.
During the 2022 NFL season, Davis hosted Hopkins at a Raiders game as rumors circulated that the two were dating before Hopkins revealed that their relationship was platonic.
During WWE‘s Raw, the color commentator McAfee said during a wrestling sequence, “Mark Davis is 70 years and is expecting a child with a 26-year-old. Anything is possible in this modern world!”
After McAfee’s comments on Raw, Hopkins disputed the rumor that Davis was the father.
During Tuesday’s ESPN show, McAfee addressed his false claim on WWE’s Raw.
“I apologize for perpetuating a lie,” the former NFL punter turned sports media star said on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I understand how happy you guys should be at this moment.
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“It would suck to have a 70-year-old billionaire looming over it.
“So I’d like to apologize to Hayden and let the world know, hey, we gotta make sure we get these things right.
“I spread lies in the middle of the Braun Strowman-JD McDonagh match last night.
“Mark Davis is not the father.”
McAfee was referencing the fact that he shared the false rumor when JD McDonagh wrestled Braun Strowman.
Hopkins denied she was pregnant with Davis’ child on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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“Reports of Mark Davis being the father of my child are wildly untrue. I was pictured sitting next to him at a game in 2022 and have endured false rumors of a romantic relationship since,” the 26-year-old wrote on X.
“I was just a guest sitting in the owner’s box with other friends.
“These continued media stories are negatively affecting what should be my happiest days.
“Joey and I are excited to welcome our baby in the fall.”
Hopkins has lived in Las Vegas since 2017 when she was given the role of La Belle in Treasure Island’s Cirque Du Soleil’s Mystere.
She has eclipsed over 200,000 followers on Instagram and the number continues to climb after the recent false rumor between her and Davis.
The NFL owner Davis doesn’t have any children and also owns the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA.