There's a line you don't cross on the internet and Barstool Sports routinely straddles the fence between acceptability and defamation.

Former Mississippi State superfan Steven Ray reportedly filed a civil lawsuit against the media company and WorldStarHipHop in Tuscaloosa this week, claiming negligence, invasion of privacy and wantonness stemming from a meme posted online featuring a photo of Ray with the caption, “how can someone look like a child and a child molester at the same time.”

First reported by Matt Wyatt Media, Ray — known for his cowbell-laced Mississippi State videos and call-ins to The Paul Finebaum Show — has been off social media for more than a year and no longer claims to be a Bulldogs fan. He was recently spotted in Southern Miss and Ole Miss attire due to the backlash he has received from the Mississippi State fanbase from those growing tired of his comedic charade.

Later, in the intentional infliction of emotional distress portion of the lawsuit, it states Barstool, “did so only with hopes of gain in mind, that the publication of this altered photo have damaged the reputation of the Plaintiff (Ray).” The lawsuit also states Ray is, “entitled to recover against the defendants for injuries, damages and losses proximately caused by their publication as set forth in the Complaint.” It states Ray is entitled to Punitive Damages that are not exactly defined in the complaint.

According to U.S. Legal, wantonness is the "conscious doing of some act or the omission of some duty, while knowing of the existing conditions and being conscious that from doing or omitting to do an act, injury will likely or probably result.”

Based on the factors in play here, it sounds like Stingray will have a strong case in court against Barstool and WorldStarHipHop in claims of negligence and invasion of privacy. Bartstool founder and CEO Dave Portnoy released a statement this week on the lawsuit, saying his team was actually defending a photo originally posted on WorldStarHipHop.

"This may be the last thing I predicted in the universe that could’ve happened today,” Portnoy said in a video posted on Tuesday. “They seem to have convoluted the facts. We didn’t make that photo. It was a very funny caption, but it’s unfortunate because it’s a malicious attack. I was clearly saying he was the victim of a malicious attack. What a world the internet is.

"He got bullied so bad online he started rooting for his arch rival."

Stingray recently posted on Twitter that he was an "avid college football fan, no longer a Mississippi State fan." For several seasons during the Dak Prescott era, Stingray would post short videos online previewing the Bulldogs' upcoming game and after that had a short-lived college football show with a friend (co-analyst).