Rebel Rags truly believes they have a case, and they’re looking for blood.
The Oxford, MS based Ole Miss apparel store previously filed a lawsuit against Mississippi State linebacker Leo Lewis, defensive lineman Kobe Jones, and Laremy Tunsil’s step father Lindsey Miller before the 2017 football season.
Sports Illustrated’s Bruce Feldman reported:
SI has learned that Rebel Rags filed lawsuit today against former Miss St HC Dan Mullen, ex Miss St AD Scott Stricklin as well the NCAA investigator Mike Sheridan and the NCAA itself.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 21, 2018
The 3 prior defendants – Lewis, Jones, and Miller – were accused of knowingly providing false information to the NCAA in their testimonies, which were made public due to several leaks. All 3 stated that they got free gear from the store during recruitment through connections with Ole Miss coaches.
Rebel Rags is claiming, basically, that their business has been hurt because of their name being included in the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations. The store’s owner, Terry Warren, is one of the “boosters” that has been disassociated from the University, which is still pending appeal.
The lawsuit alleges defamation, civil conspiracy and commercial disparagement against Mullen, Stricklin, and the NCAA’s Mike Sheridan, which is the same complaints as the initial lawsuit months ago.
Stricklin’s lawyer, Starkville-based, Charles Winfield, provided a brief statement:
“Simply put, the claims against Mr. Stricklin are wholly devoid of merit, and there is simply no good faith basis in either law or fact for Mr. Stricklin to have been made a party to such a case.”
Charles Merkel, the Clarksdale-based attorney representing Rebel Rags and Warren, gave some information to the Clarion Ledger’s Antonio Morales:
Charles Merkel, a Clarksdale-based attorney who represents Rebel Rags, said this case was essentially filed as a precaution against a potential argument that the statute of limitations will run out…
The original case, which features several unnamed John Doe defendants, is awaiting a ruling on a petition from the Mississippi Supreme Court. Rebel Rags filed a motion to lift the stay on the case, which would have allowed it to amend the complaint and add those John Doe defendants.
Merkel said judge John Kelly Luther told him the easiest thing to do, since there’s a delay in the proceedings, was to file another lawsuit with the unnamed John Doe defendants. Merkel said the two cases will be consolidated.
