Georgia QB Jaden Rashada sues Florida coach Billy Napier, among others, over botched $13.85M NIL deal

Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada has sued Florida coach Billy Napier, top Gators booster Hugh Hathcock and former football staffer Marcus Castro-Walker over a failed name, image and likeness deal that would have paid the quarterback $13.85 million, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday. 

The bombshell lawsuit, which features the unprecedented action of an active SEC quarterback suing a sitting rival head coach, is the most notable NIL-related lawsuit to date. In many ways, Rashada became the face of the chaotic nature of early NIL that was full of big promises with little oversight on the heels of his Florida deal falling apart. 

The complaint, filed in the Pensacola Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, details a number of counts alleging Napier, Hathcock and others fraudulently induced Rashada, then a highly regarded high school quarterback prospect, to attend Florida with no intention of following through on their financial promises. Specifically, the lawsuit claims fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, aiding and abetting fraud, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, negligent misrepresentation, tortious interference with a business relationship or contract and aiding and abetting tortious interference. 

“Hathcock (on behalf of himself and Velocity Automotive), Castro-Walker and Coach Napier orchestrated and executed a fraud upon Jaden and were substantially and knowingly assisted by one another in carrying out the fraud,” the lawsuit says. “Each of their individual schemes would not have succeeded without assistance from one another.”

Attempts to reach Florida for comment were not immediately returned. 

Rashada enlisted well-known Houston-area attorney Rusty Hardin, who…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/georgia-qb-jaden-rashada-sues-florida-coach-billy-napier-among-others-over-botched-13-85m-nil-deal/

Author : John Talty

Publish date : 2024-05-21 13:32:55

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