Amidst the (well-deserved) adulation heaped on it for breaking the return of a Prodigal Hoops King to Ohio, Sports Illustrated received a little negative press as well Friday.
If you recall, an “exposé" was published by SI on the Oklahoma State football program back in September of last year that immediately had holes poked in it as well fun poked at it. Not so surprisingly, the “exposé" -- it alleged illicit payments to players and drug use and hostess sex with recruits as well as academic fraud -- didn’t sit well with those in and around the OSU program.
According to the Associated Press, the magazine/website will now be forced to deal with and defend their own words in court.
Per the AP, an individual connected to the Oklahoma Fellowship of Christian Athletes has filed a lawsuit against the media entity based on a portion of the claims made in the “exposé.” In the SI piece, it was alleged that plaintiff John Talley, as the AP writes, “was wrongly portrayed as an overzealous booster who improperly paid OSU football players.”
The lawsuit was filed in Payne County (Okla.) District Court. The details of the suit, including any damages being sought, weren’t released.