Ole Miss brothers Robert and Denzel Nkemdiche not only deny allegations that they participated in an assault, they're seeking $2 million in a civil claim against the plantiff for "false and defamatory statements."
Key starters on the Ole Miss defense, Denzel is an undersized but productive linebacker who enters his junior season in 2014, while Robert is among the most promising talents in the SEC as a 300-pound defensive tackle. Plaintiff Matthew Baird filed a lawsuit on Feb. 15 alleging that both brothers and other unidentified men attacked him outside an Ole Miss fraternity house a year earlier, and continued beating him after he had been knocked unconscious. The Nkemdiches filed their counter-claim last week in Lafayette County Circuit Court, according to clarionledger.com.
Robert Nkemdiche was one of the nation's top-rated recruits in 2013, and played extensively as a true freshman last fall. Nkemdiche remains in good standing with the team, while Denzel is suspended for the team's season-opener against Boise State due to an unrelated matter.
The Ole Miss Police Department did not pursue charges on the grounds that the attackers could not be properly identified.
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