Florida football head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] spoke at the SEC spring meetings in Destin on Tuesday and addressed the topic that has been on everyone’s mind.
Last week, it was revealed that former five-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] filed a lawsuit accusing Napier, along with booster Hugh Hathcock and former Director of Player Engagement and NIL Marcus Castro-Walker, of fraud for failing to follow through on a $13.8 million Name, Image and Likeness deal that Rashada claimed was promised to him during the 2022-23 recruiting cycle.
“I can’t comment due to the litigation,” Napier said. “But I do have confidence in my legal team. I am comfortable with my actions and I am thankful for the university’s support. We’ll leave it at that and let the process take its course.”
Napier also declined to comment about Castro-Walker’s dismissal but remains confident that the lawsuit won’t negatively impact Florida’s recruiting efforts.
“This narrative has been out there a long time,” Napier said. “I think we got that question two years ago, a year and a half ago, and I don’t think it’s necessarily slowed us down.”
When asked how it has impacted the program’s momentum after a strong practice and transfer portal season, Napier was direct in his response.
“I spent about 30 minutes observing our team this morning before coming here. We officially started our offseason program for the summer this morning. That’s what gives me confidence. We executed the first half of the offseason the best we’ve done since we’ve been here. We certainly have evolved, we’ve adapted, and I feel good about our systems. We’ve got credible leadership.”
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also weighed in on the topic.
“It’s not the only lawsuit involving a coach over the last year,” Sankey told the Athens Banner Herald’s Marc Weiszer. “It won’t be the last. We have a legal system and people have rights to pursue what they view as grievances and the legal system sorts that out.”
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