Three friends of Nolan Wells have filed a lawsuit against former NFL player Terrell Owens, accusing the Hall of Famer of defamation. Wells, 18, a Black college student, was found floating adrift on July 6 after he and his friends were on a boating trip off of the Mississippi Gulf Coast near Horn Island for a July 4 celebration. A Jackson County grand jury last month found that the teenager’s death was ‘consistent with drowning’ and dismissed accusations that the tragedy was ‘racially motivated.’Friends of Wells – Morgan Seymour, Jax Pitalo and Warren Hudson – have now sued Owens for defamation. The fathers of the three friends, who are under 21 and considered minors under Mississippi law, filed the federal lawsuit Monday on their behalf. In the lawsuit obtained by The Daily Mail, the trio accuse the 52-year-old of defaming them after he posted on X: ‘ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!!’ Three friends of Nolan Wells have filed a lawsuit against former NFL player Terrell Owens Wells’s body was found after the 18-year-old football player and his friends were on a boating trip off of the Mississippi Gulf Coast near Horn Island for the Fourth of July. Source: ChristineWonsley/FacebookOwens’ post also linked to an Instagram video, which theorized the three friends killed Wells and tampered with his phone, according to the lawsuit. The post was made days after the grand jury declined to recommend charges in Wells´ death.The former wide receiver has 1.2 million followers on X and had previously pledged $25,000 to a reward fund for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Wells’ death.The Daily Mail has reached out to Owens and SMAC Entertainment, which, according to its website, manages Owens, but did not immediately receive a response. ‘This action concerns his devastating and far-reaching defamatory statement about Plaintiffs in a false and malicious social media post published by Owens on X.com,’ the trio’s filing read. It added: ‘Nolan’s death was accidental and involved no criminal activity. Yet, since that fateful and tragic day, conspiracy theorists, grifters, hoax peddlers, and other modern-day hucksters and plain liars have perpetuated the disgusting and false narrative that Warren, Jax, and Morgan somehow murdered Nolan and covered up this supposed heinous crime. ‘These bad actors have acted on a variety of motives, including their need to identify and attack Girardian scapegoats, to garner social media clicks for profit and, in some instances, outright racism. Owens is one such bad actor, and one of the most famous such individuals.’ The lawsuit against Owens was among a handful of defamation claims the friends filed this week against content creators. They also previously indicated their intent to sue the Rev. Al Sharpton and ‘The View’ co-host Sunny Hostin for comments they made while discussing Wells’ death. Wells’s death garnered national attention, with his heartbroken family calling for an investigation into the tragedy despite law enforcement’s determination that his death involved no foul play. Source: ChristineWonsley/Facebook Friends of Wells, Morgan Seymour, Jax Pitalo and Warren Hudson, sued Owens for defamationThe three friends are demanding a trial by jury, seeking compensatory and punitive damages. Their lawsuit claims that they have suffered ‘mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation, and fear for their physical safety and that of their families, including as a result of the death threats, face-to-face harassment, and public ridicule.”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.Owens played 15 seasons in the NFL for teams including the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. The three were part of a group of 30 friends, including Wells, who rode to Horn Island on three boats on the Fourth of July. Wells’ friends said Wells did not return to the mainland with them, choosing instead to stay behind to talk with a girl, a claim his family has disputed. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast.Images showing Wells with the white friends the day he went missing fueled online speculation that racial dynamics played a role in his death.Two of the three friends who are suing Owens were singled out online in part because they appear in a photo with Wells and one other friend on a boat, which was circulated on social media after his disappearance. The third called Wells’ mother and the U.S. Coast Guard to report Wells missing. The teen’s mother became more suspicious after getting her son’s phone back, where she checked Snapchat and saw that her son had not taken any photos of his day out, which she said was unusual for the football playerWells’ death garnered national attention, with his heartbroken family calling for an investigation despite law enforcement’s determination that no foul play was involved. In a report released by the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office last month, the grand jury report said it ‘finds that the position of, the condition of, time of discovery, and location of Mr Wells’ body is consistent with drowning.”After a thorough and exhaustive investigation, your grand jury met last week concerning the death investigation of Nolan Wells and unanimously returned a no true bill,’ District Attorney Angel Myers Mcllrath said.’The death of Nolan Wells has devastated our community. Outsiders and influencers have attempted to exploit Nolan’s death to divide and create chaos here but we are better together.’The state’s Chief Medical Examiner and another doctor asserted that the cause of the teenager’s death was ‘undetermined’ and that ‘drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion.’ ‘There was bruising on the back of Mr Wells’ head which was not a fatal injury,’ the documents said, adding that the doctor and state medical examiner disagreed about further bruising on his rear and shoulder. ‘A witness testified under oath that he saw Mr Wells slip awkwardly off the side of a boat around the time of 3.30pm on July 4… but could not say whether Mr Wells struck his head during the fall,’ the report continued. The witness said Wells continued to socialize afterward and did not appear injured. Owens played 15 seasons in the NFL for teams including the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals The grand jury addressed the public’s concerns and dismissed rumors, determining that Wells was not the only person of color on Horn Island on the day of his death as speculated. Source: ChristineWonsley/Facebook Wells’s friends have rejected claims that his death was racially motivated and said he was like a brother to the group. Source: ChristineWonsley/FacebookThe grand jury determined that Wells was not the only person of color on Horn Island on the day of his death, as some speculated. ‘There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan’s disappearance and death were racially motivated,’ Mcllrath said. ‘The Grand Jury finds no credible evidence to support the public allegations that any persons who rode to or from Horn Island on July 4… engaged in any criminal conduct related to the death of Mr Wells,’ the report said. It also found Wells had not been involved in a fight or argument on July 4 and stayed on the island, along with others, to ‘socialize.’ According to the report, the Triton that transported Wells’ group across the water had a bilge pump and motor malfunction on July 4 and was ‘actively taking on water and sinking.”The Grand Jury conducted a comprehensive inquiry into the death of Mr Wells and is confident in the extensive investigation done by both Federal and State law enforcement agencies,’ the report added.