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A Florida judge ruled on Tuesday that Zion Williamson must answer questions under oath over his eligibility to play at Duke, according to Daniel Wallach of The Athletic.
Gina Ford, the former marketing agent for Williamson, served requests to Williamson to admit he received “money, benefits, favors or other things of value” to attend Duke. Lawyers for Williamson filed a protective order last week to prevent Williamson from answering questions under oath but a circuit judge in Miami denied that request during a motion hearing.
Ford claims that Williamson backed out of a signed contract to allow her to negotiate future endorsement deals in the NBA. She is seeking financial damages in excess of $100 million after Williamson reneged on the contract but by doing so, she is claiming that Williamson received impermissible benefits by attending Duke as part of her defense.
The attorneys for Williamson have said in the past that the contract signed with Ford was void in North Carolina and was negated by the North Carolina Uniform Athlete Agent Act. In short, Ford is attempting to prove Williamson was ineligible to play at Duke, thus meaning the UAAA would not protect him and allow him to back out of the contract.
The legal battle between Williamson and Ford is far from a conclusion and it is still possible he will not have to answer questions after his lawyers file an appeal. The case, however, will be worth watching in the future and how it may affect future players.
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