STILLWATER — Sports Illustrated magazine has been sued — accused of maliciously publishing false information regarding the relationship between Oklahoma State University football athletes and a representative of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Payne County District Court.

In a five-part series called “The Dirty Game,” writers for Sports Illustrated portrayed Oklahoma Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative John Talley as an “overzealous ‘booster’ who made systematic improper financial contributions to OSU’s football players,” Talley alleges in the lawsuit.

Talley claims the allegations published last September “were false, lacked factual basis and were printed and published with actual malice.”