Three friends of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old student athlete who died after disappearing during a Fourth of July boating trip off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, have threatened to sue civil rights activist Al Sharpton for defamation over his public comments about the case. Sharpton, who delivered Wells's eulogy and has appeared alongside the teenager's parents and attorney Ben Crump, had suggested race may have played a role in Wells's death, noting he was the only black person on the boat and questioning the friends' account that he chose to stay behind after meeting a woman.

Attorneys for Morgan Seymour, Jax Pitalo and Warren Hudson sent Sharpton a 19-page presuit letter demanding he apologise for, retract and delete statements they say falsely implied the three committed felonies including murder, hindering prosecution and evidence tampering. The letter gives Sharpton ten days from being served to comply or face litigation, and follows remarks Sharpton made on 13 August at a National Association of Black Journalists conference, where he said he "welcomed" any lawsuit from the friends' families.