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QB Jaden Rashada has filed a bombshell lawsuit against the University of Florida over a botched NIL deal worth almost $14M.
Name, Image, and likeness deals are finally allowed in college sports but the framework is still on shaky ground. While some athletes like Bronny James Jr. and Angel Reese flourish in NIL deals, others get broken promises that could land in courtrooms.
According to CBS Sports, current Georgia backup quarterback Jaden Rashada is the latest to reveal the dark side of the current NIL landscape. Rashada sued staff from his former school, the University of Florida including head coach Billy Napier, a football team staffer, and top Gators booster Hugh Hathcock over an alleged failed NIL deal worth $13.85 million.
The lawsuit states that Rashada was lured to the school allegedly by Napier, Hathcock, and others who failed to deliver on a name, image, and likeness deal.
“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.” The lawsuit states.
Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges in so many words a group of people used their influencer to make him commit to Florida without any plan of delivering their promises.
“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.”
The lawsuit also reveals Rashada allegedly left a $9.5 million NIL deal from the University of Miami after promises from Coach Napier and Boosters. At the center of the lawsuit, it alleges Booster Hugh Hathcoock and former staffer Marcus Castro-Walker agreed to pay Rashada $13.85 million with a $5.35 Million and a signing bonus by way of Hathcock’s Velocity Automotive company. The deal was signed on November 10, 2022, with the first $500,00 payment due December 5, reports CBS.
However, boosters allegedly never held up their end of the bargain. Also, boosters allegedly failed to pay Rasahada’s father a $1 million “partial payment” for his son’s signing. Jaden alleges he was defrauded of millions of dollars in name, image, and likeness money after the financial backing never came in. Eventually, he played for Arizona State and now is a backup for the University of Georgia.
