Just before draft, top prospect Laremy Tunsil sued by stepfather
This probably isn’t what Laremy Tunsil wanted to be dealing with right before one of the biggest moments of his life.
Tunsil, the Ole Miss offensive tackle who could go as high as third overall to the San Diego Chargers in Thursday’s NFL draft, was sued again this week by his stepfather Lindsey Miller. Miller claims an “intentional infliction of emotional distress” due to Tunsil allegedly attacking him last June and defaming his character, the Clarion-Ledger reported.
The history between Tunsil and Miller isn’t pretty. The two sued each other on domestic violence charges last year. Tunsil said Miller attacked his mother, and Miller said Tunsil attacked him unprovoked, according to the Clarion-Ledger. Both sides dropped those charges last August.
An arrest report obtained by the Clarion-Ledger said the fight was over Miller warning Tunsil about having contact with agents. The lawsuit said Tunsil’s mother and Miller had a heated argument about contact with agents, and Miller alleged that after that argument Tunsil rushed into the house and attacked him. Miller claims that Tunsil fabricated the part about defending his mother to Ole Miss coaches, and Miller says that Tunsil defamed him when he claimed Miller assaulted his wife. The new lawsuit by Miller says he is suing on grounds of “past, present, and future bodily injury, pain & suffering, severe emotional distress, medical costs, damage to reputation, and/or other types of damages that he has incurred (and will likely continue to incur),” the Clarion-Ledger reported.
Tunsil was a fantastic college player and became a well-known name when he was given a high-profile seven-game suspension by the NCAA last year for receiving impermissible extra benefits.
None of this is likely to affect Tunsil’s draft status on Thursday. NFL teams don’t care much about impermissible benefits, and the facts of the incident with Miller are disputed. But it’s not pleasant story for a player who will hear his name called early in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
