A retail outfitter in Oxford, Mississippi is taking aim at a couple of Mississippi State players following up on an investigation into the Ole Miss football program. According to The Clarion-Ledger, Rebel Rags in Oxford has filed a lawsuit against Mississippi State’s Leo Lewis and Kobe Jones. Lindsey Miller, the estranged father of former Old Miss standout Laremy Tunsil, has also been listed in the lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon.
The apparel company is suing for “defamation, slander, conspiracy and commercial disparagement stemming from false statements made to the NCAA.” Those statements were released in the response to the notice of allegations by Ole Miss last week. The specific allegation the clothing outlet takes exception to is one that claims Rebel Rags provided $2,8000 in impermissible benefits as arranged by former Ole Miss assistant Chris Kiffin and off-field staff member Barney Farrar.
"(T)here is no proof that corroborates the claims of [Family Member 1], [Student-Athlete 39], or [Student-Athlete 40] that each of them received free merchandise from [Booster 8], much less at the direction of a football staff member,” the response stated. “Not a single witness corroborates these claims – in fact, every other witness denies it, including those closest to the prospects and without University affiliation.”
Mississippi State has not provided any comment about the lawsuit, nor should one be expected.