Former Florida football commit Jaden Rashada is reportedly suing coach Billy Napier, Marcus Castro-Walker (former Florida director of NIL and player engagement) and booster Hugh Hathcock over the program’s botched NIL deal to sign the Pittsburg, California, native.
The suit — filed in the Northern District of Florida — lists Napier, Castro-Walker, Hathcock and Hathcock’s company, Velocity Automotive, as defendants. The current Georgia quarterback alleges they defrauded him by backing out of a promised $13.85 million NIL deal that was used to entice him to play for the Gators.
Rashada did sign a National Letter of Intent with Florida in December 2022, but ultimately backed out of it in January 2023 to instead sign with Arizona State, where his father played. Prior to his signing with the Gators, he also backed out of a verbal commitment to fellow in-state program Miami, which also reportedly offered Rashada a notable NIL package of $9.5 million — money, ESPN reports, the QB is claiming as part of the damages in his suit.
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Per the lawsuit:
“Sadly, unethical and illegal tactics like this are more and more commonplace in the Wild West that is today’s college football landscape. As the first scholar-athlete to take a stand against such egregious behavior by adults who should know better, Jaden seeks to hold Defendants accountable for their actions and to expose the unchecked abuse of power that they shamelessly wielded.”
Here’s what you need to know of Rashada’s suit:
Jaden Rashada lawsuit, explained
Rashada’s suit claims Hathcock, a well-known donor tied to Florida athletics, initially approached him during a June 2022 visit to the university. Later that summer, he placed value on a potential NIL deal later:…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/former-florida-commit-jaden-rashada-144118446.html
Author : The Gainesville Sun
Publish date : 2024-05-21 14:41:18
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