It looked like UCLA Bruins basketball was going to hit a huge snag after the George Dohrmann expose hit the magazine covers a few months ago. There were some embarrassing stories in there, particularly regarding power forward Reeves Nelson, and a lot of people were going to get in trouble, particularly Ben Howland.
Turns out that the whole thing has just blown over, and UCLA is ready to strike back. Nelson wasn't just going to sit down and let the rumors that he peed on a basketball teammate's bed flourish without a healthy retort. That healthy retort seems to be worth ten million dollars.
According to Nelson's lawsuit, the article claimed he was not punished after fighting with multiple teammates and intentionally injuring them during practice. The S.I. article also claims Nelson "urinated on [a teammate's] bed and clothes" -- purely as revenge for the player allegedly squealing about a New Year's Eve party.
But Nelson's high-powered entertainment lawyer Keith Fink says they can prove Dohrmann "recklessly and negligently failed to investigate the claims in the article." The lawsuit includes declarations from 18 UCLA players and ex-players who deny every allegation about Nelson.
It seems his teammates are willing to back up his statement and Nelson also has a reputed lawyer on his side. SI and UCLA are at odds, and the magazine could get hit hard if they overreached.
Talk about Nelson and the UCLA basketball scandal over at Bruins Nation.
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