Friends of Nolan Wells sue NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens for defamation
Three friends of Nolan Wells, a Mississippi teen who died after a July boating trip, have filed a defamation suit against former NFL star Terrell Owens. The suit centers on a social media post suggesting they deleted evidence from Wells's phone.
Three friends of Nolan Wells, a Mississippi teenager who died after a boating trip, have taken NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens to court, accusing him of defamation. The complaint was filed on Monday in a Mississippi district court.
The disputed post
On 26 September, Owens shared an Instagram video suggesting that Wells's friends Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour had deleted evidence from his phone after his death. The three men deny this. Owens captioned the post with a demand that they be arrested immediately.
The plaintiffs are the young men's fathers, who are named because the three are treated as minors under state law. The complaint says the post damaged their reputations and put their physical safety at risk. It alleges that, because of the conduct of Owens and many other less-famous people, the young men have received thousands of death threats, been harassed face to face and even been refused service at public establishments. Owens could not immediately be reached for comment.
The friends' lawyers have also indicated they plan legal action against other public figures who have spoken out about Wells's death, including Al Sharpton and Sunny Hostin of The View.
Circumstances of Wells's death
On 4 July, Wells and his friends sailed to an island in Mississippi. He was last seen that afternoon, and his body was found on the island two days later. The circumstances have fuelled public suspicion: Wells, who was African American, had been socialising with a mostly white group of friends, and some online referred to Mississippi's history of racial violence.
In late September, a Mississippi grand jury declined to bring criminal charges, finding that his death appeared consistent with drowning. Jackson county district attorney Angel Myers McIlrath has said the death was not racially motivated.
Wells's parents and civil rights lawyer Ben Crump continue to demand further investigation, pointing to the state autopsy report, which said his airways and stomach were empty. The family argues that the absence of water undermines the drowning finding. Wells's mother, Christine Wonsley, reportedly said at a Monday press conference that she could not accept the ruling or move on, and that the family had been left with more questions than answers.
