Friend pushes back on rumors after Nolan Wells’s death

Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Mississippi football standout, disappeared on Horn Island on July 4 and was found dead two days later. His self-described best friend, Warren Hudson, spoke exclusively to The Post to reject online rumors that he was responsible, calling the online chatter “a sick world” with no facts. Wells’s mother said he had cooperated with investigators and that Wells stayed behind after a bilge-pump problem; the family is seeking the truth. A $125,000 reward, including pledges from Rev. Al Sharpton, Tyler Perry, and Terrell Owens, remains for information that leads to arrests. Wells’s funeral was held in a closed casket with Spike Lee and Owens in attendance, and attorney Ben Crump was expected to announce preliminary autopsy results at the NAACP convention.