HUGE CONFLICT: Georgia QB Jaden Rashada Sues Florida HC Billy Napier Over Fraud $13.85 million NIL deal

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jaden Rashada is suing Florida Gators coach Billy Napier and top boosters for the University of Florida athletic department for failing to pay him compensation for a NIL deal for about $14 million.

Rashada, 20, had previously committed to playing collegiate football for the Miami Hurricanes before changing his mind and committing to Florida. The decision to recommit from Miami and promise to in-state rival Florida occurred when reports surfaced that the Gators had given him a NIL deal worth $13.85 million.
However, just as he was about to enroll at Florida, the 6-foot-4 quarterback requested a release from his National Letter of Intent. Rashada’s decision to depart the Gators football team was reportedly related to the failure to complete the $13.85 million NIL deal.

Rashada played his rookie season with the Arizona State Sun Devils, completing 53.7 percent of his 82 attempts for 485 yards and a 4-3 touchdown-interception ratio. He received the most playing time on August 31 versus Southern Utah, making his first collegiate start and completing for 236 passing yards and two touchdowns.

In April, the former Sun Devils quarterback entered the transfer portal, and prominent Power 4 colleges expressed quick interest. On April 25, he transferred to the University of Georgia to compete with Gunner Stockton for Carson Beck’s backup quarterback position in 2024.

According to a lawsuit obtained by Paula Lavigne and Dan Murphy of ESPN, Rashada is suing Napier and numerous Florida Gators boosters, alleging that he was scammed out of millions of dollars in the NIL agreement that they cancelled.
Rashada’s lawsuit claims that he signed his national letter of intent with Florida on December 21, 2022, after Napier allegedly promised Rashada’s father a $1 million “partial payment” the same day the quarterback signed. However, Rashada’s family never received the cash.

“Unfortunately, unethical and illegal tactics like this are becoming increasingly common in today’s Wild West of college football.” As the first scholar-athlete to speak up against such heinous behaviour by adults who should know better, Jaden hopes to hold Defendants accountable for their acts and expose the unfettered abuse of power that they shamefully exercised.

 

Rashada is the first known collegiate athlete to sue a coach or booster for allegedly failing to pay the promised NIL payments. However, there have been repeated rumours in the NCAA over the previous year that other schools and sponsors have failed to deliver on NIL claims.

While all of this is going on, the NCAA and the Power 4 conferences are discussing a $2 billion settlement in the House vs. NCAA case. If the NCAA approves the settlement, which results in a $2.7 payout to college athletes, it could have far-reaching consequences for college athletics, including allowing universities to pay student-athletes directly in binding contract agreements.