Former Florida Gators recruit and current Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada is suing coach Billy Napier and others, claiming they backed out of a nearly $14 million NIL agreement according to a lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Rashada says in the lawsuit he committed to Florida after turning down offers from other schools in part because Napier promised a $1M partial payment to Rashada’s father shortly before he signed his NLI to attend Florida.
The suit claims this payment was never received, with Rashada alleging seven different counts of fraud – including negligent misrepresentations, tortious interference, aiding and abetting tortious interference, and vicarious liability.
Napier is a defendant along with Florida booster Hugh Hathcock and Marcus Castro-Walker, the former Florida NIL director, who are both accused of interfering with Rashada’s previous commitment to Miami which involved a $9.5 million NIL contract with booster John Ruiz.
The suit claims Florida used “deceitful” promises to flip his commitment from Miami to Florida in order to sign a $13.85 million NIL deal with the Gator Collective.
Rashada eventually ended up at Arizona State, throwing for 485 yards and four touchdowns before transferring to Georgia.
His lawsuit will be watched closely by the college sports community as NIL continues to go unmonitored by the NCAA, creating a landscape described in the lawsuit as the “Wild West.”