College football’s nascent paradigm of name, image and likeness deals has turned the sport upside down as an era of post-amateur competition begins to emerge. Predictably, this shift has not come without growing pains.
According to a press release on Tuesday morning, [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] — one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting cycle — is suing Florida Gators head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and a University of Florida booster for fraud.
The litigation stems from an offer made by UF to lure Rashada away from the Miami Hurricanes with a $13.85 million NIL deal after UM promised him $9.5 million to sign with them. As it turns out, this was a violation of NCAA bylaws.
“Sadly, this type of fraud is becoming more commonplace in the Wild West that is today’s college NIL landscape,” said Rusty Hardin, an attorney representing Rashada.
Florida’s behavior did not end with the NIL contract being canceled, according to the complaint. These actions culminated with Napier himself vouching that UF alumni were good on their promise that Jaden would receive $1 million if he signed with UF on national signing day.
The booster named in the suit is automotive technology entrepreneur Hugh Hathcock as well as his former company, Velocity Automotive, which was supposed to help finance the package. In addition to Napier and Hathcock, the defendants also include Marcus Castro-Walker, the former Director of Player Engagement and NIL for the University of Florida.
“Wealthy alumni, consumed by their schools’ athletic programs, are taking advantage of young people by offering them life-changing sums of money, only to renege on their commitments,” Hardin notes.
“As the first scholar-athlete to take a stand against this egregious behavior, Jaden seeks to hold these defendants accountable for their actions and to expose their as-yet unchecked abuse of power.”
Castro-Walker is no longer with the Florida program. Hathcock, a longtime Florida booster, is not involved in NIL activities and his Gator Guard collective shut down.
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