Ole Miss apparel shop sues Mississippi State duo over allegations in NCAA probe

The rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State looks poised to continue in the courtroom, as a Rebels apparel shop has filed a lawsuit against a pair of Bulldogs players stemming from the NCAA's probe into the Ole Miss athletic department.

Rebel Rags, an Oxford-based clothing store that specializes in Ole Miss apparel, filed a lawsuit over the weekend against Mississippi State's Leo Lewis and Kobe Jones. Former Rebels standout Laremy Tunsil's stepfather, Lindsey Miller, is also named in the suit.

According to court documents obtained by Antonio Morales of the Clarion-Ledger, the store is suing for "defamation, slander, conspiracy, and commercial disparagement stemming from false statements made to the NCAA and have since been published in the (university's response to the) notice of allegations."

The lawsuit comes after the NCAA's findings alleged former assistant coach Chris Kiffin and former off-field staffer Barney Farrar arranged for recruits to have almost $3,000 of free merchandise from the store.

Both Lewis and Jones were being recruited by Ole Miss at the time, and claim they were student-athletes who received a number of free items, despite Rebel Rags' receipts claiming otherwise.