This whole messy incident first began when the blog first published an anonymous report from a man claiming to be the spurned former lover of an anonymous Falcons player. The next day, Mughelli was revealed to be the Falcons player, then Francois Sloan, a 36-year-old hair stylist from Jersey City, NJ revealed himself as the ex-lover in a video interview on MissJia.com.

Mughelli's attorney, Phaedra Parks, told me in a phone interview that the accusations were "false and defamatory" and that they're still sending out letters to websites and will "take appropriate legal action" against the ones who don't comply. Here's the letter sent to mediaoutrage.com:

And according to Outsports' outside counsel in Atlanta, Cynthia Counts, this will be a tough one to win in court:

"Ms. Parks fails to acknowledge that Mr. Mughelli is a public figure who would be required to show actual malice. In fact, as a public figure, Mr. Mughelli would have to prove not only that the statement is false, but also that the publisher either knew its statements were false or had a subjective awareness of the probable falsity of the statements."

I asked Parks if Mughelli even knew who Sloan was, but she declined to comment and referred back to her original statement. Still, a bigger, pressing ignorant question — if this relationship did happen, does it mean that Mughelli is a full-blown homosexual?

Let's ask our in-house gay person, Choire Sicha:

"Sometimes it happens in this world that a straight person, or a gay guy, just happened to fall for someone of the wrong gender for a period of time. It's unusual but it happens. People are like, weird. Sometimes gay dudes have serious romantic and sexual relationships with women—because they want to, and they're into it!"

Okay, so, 2! There's a whole bunch of people who fall somewhere on the bisexual spectrum. Who feel most comfortable being straight, for obvious reasons, but from time to time have one of these relationships. And if you ask any fag, such as myself, there's almost always the guy who slept over that one night in high school and started begging you to have sex with him. And personally I'm still very sorry I didn't have sex with him, but he was my best girlfriend's boyfriend at the time, and I thought it'd be rude.

So to your question: could he be straight, even if he did have this relationship? Yeah, sure! I guess the way to think of it is: where you stick it doesn't make you what you are. Like, you can put your junk pretty much anywhere you want, and still identify however you like. (A cursory review of Craigslist will totally confirm this, and you can ask any dude who's ever gone over to some guy's house and finds he is clearly married because there is women's clothing and stuff all over.)

People are sort of way more interesting in the specific than in the category. Like, why shouldn't people do whoever they want, and also be whoever they want? (Keep this in mind if Johnny Weir ever ends up on the town with a girlfriend.)

But apart from all that? This guy might totally dig chicks and marriage and kids and driving a Suburban and grilling things, or whatever straight people like. Maybe he's totally into the straight people lifestyle, up to and including vaginas.

There you have it. So why the knee-jerk litigiousness then? Would Ovie — who is not married — proceed the same why had this person been a woman?

The story, which first appeared on the website"Miss Jia," had a detailed account of the heartbreak and humiliation suffered by the former gay lover of an NFL player who was sick of all "the lies." That player is, according to this anonymous individual, Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli. (Website has loud, annoying music.)

I spoke with Miss Jia on the phone today — nice lady! — and she is adamant that the source of the story is telling the truth.She's posting a video interview of the scorned gay man on her site in the next couple days to prove that it's not a bitter woman or the same email author who had Tiger Woods getting his teeth knocked out and high-tailing it to Phoenix. She claims that she put Mughelli "on blast" because she's sick of this type of DL-ish behavior from athletes. Miss Jia said she's not sure if Mughelli has a girlfriend, but a girl answered his home phone when she tried to contact him.

I also left a message for the Falcons communications department. You know, the old "Hello, this is A.J. Daulerio from Deadspin.com, I'd like to get a comment about the online rumors that Ovie Mughelli might be gay." The Falcons have yet to return my phone call. I also left a message for Mughelli's publicist, but she hasn't called back yet either.

This story is still left in big honking rumorville and the chances that Mughelli reveals that the author of the original story told the truth are pretty abysmal. (A quick glance through Ovie's online press packet sells a man who likes talking about being an NFL bachelor, what he wants in a woman and how said woman needs to "believe in God.") Plus — how many "older men paying young athletes money in exchange for gay sex" stories are coming out of Atlanta? Plenty, but still.

The boys over at Outsports have inquired about the story as well, but won't run with it unless the unnamed man steps forward. Outsports' Cyd Zeigler said he did speak with the Mughelli's publicist, who politely told him that it's being handled by the lawyers right now. Hang tough, Miss Jia.

We'll follow up if anything groundbreaking happens.

UPDATE: The Falcons returned the phone call tonight and have deferred all questions to Ovie's publicist who have subsequently bounced the story to....Ovie's attorneys. Yes, Ovie is apparently threatening legal action against Miss Jia and the individual who posted the account, whoever that is. I'm sure it's in the scary cease-and-desist mode right now, but that's a BIG risk he's taking to fight a gay rumor. Because once there's some legal paperwork, then newspapers feel a little less sleazy approaching stories like this and then poor Ovie will get Piazza'd.

In other site-related gayish news:

* David Lee? Not gay. No gay-related incidents at Chaminade high school. (Another fun phone call to a team pr person.) David Lee denied any knowledge about all of the rumors (awful, terrible prep school sleazy rumors) that were popping up about him. His only comment in public about our inquiry came via Newsday's Barbara Barker. Moving on.

* Also: Benoit Denizet-Lewis, Deadspin's newest weekly Northwestern basketball columnist and author of the new book "American Voyeur," will be around tomorrow to excerpt and chat with you monsters so bring your usual doses of charming assholery .

****

Thanks for your continued support of Deadspin. Barry's here to give you what you need.

The 49ers were the first to make a move in the giant fiscal orgy, giving an 8-year, $80 million contract to cornerback Nate Clements. The Titans were also in the market for Clements, presumably to replace a certain troubled cornerback who's only happy when it rains. They might be forced to keep Pacman now. Oh well ... someone has to support the strippers of Nashville.

The Falcons gave a fullback, former Raven Ovie Mughelli, a six-year, $18 million deal. Finally, they start to surround Michael Vick with some legitimate offensive weapons.

The Patriots gave an assload of money to stud linebacker Adalius Thomas. I'm assuming on the "assload" part, contract terms weren't immediately available. NFL contracts prohibit the use of the term "assload." Just because it feels like it's appropriate to mention here, Bill Belichick is a genius.

Guard Derrick Dockery got $49 million over 7 years from Buffalo. Not that it's not a worthy signing, everyone needs a few good linemen... but it seems befitting of Buffalo to go out and make a big free agency splash on a guard. That'll sell some season tickets.

And the Redskins, never to be left out, when there's money to spend, gave London Fletcher $25 million over 5 years, and Fred Smoot is rumored to be docking in Washington soon, too.

A flurry of action on first day of free agency [MSNBC]