Jaden Rashada wants his money. The former five-star quarterback took legal action against the University of Florida and Billy Napier regarding a failed promise of NIL money earlier this offseason.
His lawsuit recently received a very specific update that could result in the head football coach’s ouster if it goes in favor of the plaintiff.
Rashada, a rising redshirt freshman at the University of Georgia, spent his first year at Arizona State after initially committing to Miami and then later flipping to Florida. He only ended up in Tempe when things completely fell apart in Gainesville.
According to the legal filing, Rashada was promised $13.85 million from boosters associated with the Gators’ NIL collective. It claims that Napier, former director of player engagement and NIL Marcus Castro-Walker, and top booster Hugh Hathcock fraudulently induced him to attend the University of Florida without planning to follow through on the agreed upon financial terms.
Rashada is seeking punitive damages for no less than $9.5 million in NIL compensation. His most recent update might also want Napier fired.
Jaden Rashada isn’t backing down!
Billy Napier, who did not know about the lawsuit until it was filed, said that he is “comfortable with his actions” and did not offer any additional comment. His attorneys have said that their client did not participate in any potential wrongdoing.
This new amendment claims otherwise.
According to the amended complaint, Rashada and his family met with Castro-Walker in a conference room at Florida’s facility in June 2022. Hathcock showed up while they were there.
Upon entering the meeting room, Castro-Walker informed Jaden’s father, Harlen, that one of UF’s biggest boosters was there that day and that he wanted to speak with Jaden. Castro-Walker explained that Hathcock was there to drop off his Lamborghini for a photo shoot, but ‘you didn’t see him,’ acknowledging the forbidden yet undeniable affiliation between Hathcock and UF’s football program.
— Jaden Rashada’s 46-page amended complaint
The conversation allegedly led to the promise of $13.85 million if he was to flip to Florida from Miami.
This is where the head coach comes into the equation. Rashada’s complain claims that Hathcock’s discussions with his agents “made clear that his ability to fund lucrative NIL deals was the means to Napier’s recruiting end.” Basically, Hathcock would direct his money wherever Napier wanted.
If true, Rashada’s suit claims that Napier broke Florida’s law on Name, Image and Likeness, as well as NCAA rules. It also maintains that he violated his contract with the university through the inducement.
Napier is already on the hot seat. This lawsuit could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, because a proved violation of his contract is grounds for removal.