Friends of Nolan Wells Sue Terrell Owens for Defamation

Three friends of Nolan Wells, a Black college student who went missing from a Mississippi island on July 4 and was later found dead, are suing NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens for defamation. The federal lawsuit was filed Monday by the fathers of the three friends, who are under 21 and considered minors in Mississippi.

Owens posted on X, formerly Twitter, days after a Mississippi grand jury declined to recommend charges in Wells' death, stating, “ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!!” The post linked to an Instagram video that theorized the three friends killed Wells and tampered with his phone, according to the lawsuit. Owens, who has 1.2 million followers on X, had previously pledged $25,000 to a reward fund for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Wells' death.

"Not only is he defaming them, he’s basically saying to the mob, get your pitchforks, get your torches,” said Edward Paltzik, a defamation and media attorney representing the three friends.

Lawyers for the friends said they intend to file additional defamation claims this week against content creators and previously indicated their intention to sue Rev. Al Sharpton and "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin for comments made about Wells' death.

Wells was part of a group of approximately 30 friends who traveled to Horn Island on three boats for a Fourth of July celebration. Wells' friends stated that he chose to stay behind on the island to talk with a girl, a claim his family has disputed. His body was discovered two days later off the island's coast.

Autopsies conducted by both state and independent examiners have not determined Wells' cause of death. However, the grand jury concluded his death was “consistent with drowning.” Wells' family and their legal team have contested these findings, citing unexplained bruising on the back of his head and the absence of water in his airways and stomach.

Images circulating on social media after Wells' disappearance, showing him with white friends on the day he went missing, fueled online speculation about racial dynamics potentially playing a role in his death. Two of the three friends now suing Owens were specifically identified online, partly due to their appearance in a photograph with Wells and another friend on a boat. The third friend is credited with contacting Wells’ mother and the U.S. Coast Guard to report him missing.