Last week, a new documentary about former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens was released by Amazon Prime Video, looking back at his football career and the character he built along the way.
On Friday, Owens himself was out promoting the “Terrell & T.O.” documentary at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. During that public appearance, he went viral for other reasons.
A clip of Owens being served with legal papers during a meet-and-greet was shared on Sunday evening, as the former wide receiver is being sued for defamation in a case tied to a social media post of his.
Here’s a look at the viral clip of Owens reacting to being served legal papers and what’s known about the defamation lawsuit.
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Terrell Owens served papers during autograph event
On Friday, Owens made an appearance at the Mocs Bookstore, the official bookstore of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he starred from 1992-95 before entering the NFL. The former wide receiver was promoting his “Terrell & T.O.” documentary, which was released last week, in an autograph and meet-and-greet event.
However, one person showed up without the intentions of getting an autograph or a picture. A clip of Owens being handed legal papers, posted by attorney Edward Paltzik of Taylor Dykema PLLC, went viral on Sunday.
“Terrell Owens, you’ve been served,” Paltzik captioned the video, showing Owens reacting to receiving the lawsuit papers and placing them on a table.
Terrell Owens, you’ve been served. https://t.co/sJKlPJM1to
— Edward Andrew Paltzik, Attorney (@EdPaltzik) November 8, 2026
According to Front Office Sports, the lawsuit against Owens is tied to “a social media post that demanded the arrest of three friends of Nolan Wells, a Black college student who went missing in July and was later found dead.” Owens’ post was on Sept. 26, according to Front Office Sports. Owens “linked to an Instagram video from online talk show ‘The Trent Out Loud Show’” and “called for the arrest of the three boys, as well as Mississippi’s District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath.”
“ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!!” Owens wrote in the Sept. 26 post, per Front Office Sports. “LIKE YESTERDAY!!”
Paltzik, who represents the plaintiffs in the case, told Front Office Sports that Owens had been “evading service of the lawsuit,” which was filed on Oct. 5 in Mississippi federal court. The fathers of the three friends of Wells filed the defamation lawsuit.
The lawsuit describes Owens’ Sept. 26 social media post as “false and malicious,” and says it features a “devastating and far-reaching defamatory statement about Plaintiffs,” per Front Office Sports.
“Nolan’s death was accidental and involved no criminal activity,” the suit says, according to Front Office Sports. “Yet, since that fateful and tragic day, conspiracy theorists, grifters, hoax peddlers, and other modern-day hucksters and plain liars have perpetuated the disgusting and false narrative that Warren, Jax, and Morgan somehow murdered Nolan and covered up this supposed heinous crime.”
“Contrary to Owens’ defamatory X post, there was absolutely no evidence to prompt an arrest of the plaintiffs because they had done nothing wrong, and there was no probable cause to arrest plaintiffs because they had not committed a crime.”
The lawsuit includes counts of defamation per se and false light invasion of privacy, per Front Office Sports.
Backtrack City’s Greatest Hits Continue. Terrell Owens = SERVED. Our servers finally caught up to him this afternoon at the time and place he least expected: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Homecoming 2026. As TO waited to sign autographs and bask in the adulation of his fans at an intimate meet-and-greet in the Mocs Bookstore, he was instead handed a copy of our powerhouse federal defamation suit. No autograph required. Luck always runs out. Even sunglasses couldn’t hide TO’s disgust. Video of this important leap forward in our historic defamation dragnet will be available tomorrow at @Unshakablewapr with our unshakeable friend April Chapman, and posted right here as we continue to play Backtrack City’s Greatest Hits. @mrcoxie
— Edward Andrew Paltzik, Attorney (@EdPaltzik) November 6, 2026
Owens also reacted to the viral clip on X on Sunday night, writing that he’s “not worried.”
Hey Edward. 😂 Not worried. 👍🏾 🤷🏾♂️ God is good.
— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) November 9, 2026
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