Indianapolis Metro Police Department Officer De’Joure Mercer is suing the National Football League over defamatory tweets posted claiming that a wanted criminal killed during a police altercation with Mercer was killed because of “systemic racism.” The NFL posted a tweet honoring Dreasjon Reed as part of the league’s “Say Their Stories” campaign.

Fox News reports:

Indianapolis Metro Police Department Officer De’Joure Mercer filed the lawsuit in the federal Southern District of Indiana Court. Mercer’s lawyer, Guy A. Relford, wrote in the complaint that the materials the league published imply that Mercer “committed occupational misconduct and even criminal acts during the May 6 (e)ncounter with Reed, similar to that which were inflicted upon George Floyd.”

“De’Joure Mercer is a hero. He tracked down a very dangerous criminal wanted by the police, who was a threat to the citizens of Indianapolis,” Relford said in the statement. “He put his life on the line and was nearly killed in that effort. He was completely exonerated after an exhaustive investigation into the death of Mr. Reed. For NFL Enterprises then to suggest he was involved in police or racist misconduct is totally false, defamatory and unacceptable. What happened here has nothing to do with racism.

“While we support NFL Enterprises’ efforts to address social justice issues, Officer Mercer is taking a stand for the many, many good cops on duty across America. He is standing up for his friends and colleagues and sending a message that before you accuse a decorated police officer of misconduct in a national campaign, you had better get your facts straight.”

Indianapolis police told the Indy Star that Mercer is still a police officer. The NFL has not commented on the lawsuit. Mercer is reportedly seeking a jury trial and “substantial compensatory damages.”