Jaden Rashada sues Florida for reneging on $13 mil NIL

[butchna]

I am unaware of any claim that UF or Napier intentionally lied to Rashada. Rather, the claim is that the booster who was originally behind it said he would route payments through his company but failed to do so because he was in process of selling it and then payments were not made on time, as agreed.

Georgia QB Jaden Rashada sues Florida coach Billy Napier, among others, over botched $13.85M NIL deal

Also named in the bombshell suit are a former Gators football staffer as well as a prominent booster

www.cbssports.com

At best, the lawsuit claims that Napier knew that Hathcock was not going to follow through, per that article, but there was another collective that raised millions for it and the allegation is not that Napier knew they weren't going to pay him at all, just that he knew it would not go through that earlier agreed mechanism.

Think about this for just a second: it makes absolutely no sense for a coach to intentionally lie to a player about what the NIL will pay him. It would invariably blow up and look bad, just like this. Even worse if it turned out Napier was conspiring with boosters to make false promises. There's just no reason to do so, relative to the fallout when it didn't go through as agreed.

This case is a prime example of lack of communication between two different NIL sources, the coaches, and the player. I can see why he sued everyone to get at the dollars, but the idea that it was planned out this way by Napier and others is simply absurd on its face.

Not your actual university or coaching staff...unless that $1 million alleged bonus from Napier is valid. But they were prepared to include him on the roster, so the whole mess is fruit of the poison tree level stuff. Been arguing with another poster the merits of a lawsuit where the claim is LOST income from Miami when he whelched on that deal to jump for the Gator collective's extra $2 mil. Cautionary tales of birds and hands benefit future greed hopping candidates imo.

 

[LouderVol]

I am unaware of any claim that UF or Napier intentionally lied to Rashada. Rather, the claim is that the booster who was originally behind it said he would route payments through his company but failed to do so because he was in process of selling it and then payments were not made on time, as agreed.

Georgia QB Jaden Rashada sues Florida coach Billy Napier, among others, over botched $13.85M NIL deal

Also named in the bombshell suit are a former Gators football staffer as well as a prominent booster

www.cbssports.com

At best, the lawsuit claims that Napier knew that Hathcock was not going to follow through, per that article, but there was another collective that raised millions for it and the allegation is not that Napier knew they weren't going to pay him at all, just that he knew it would not go through that earlier agreed mechanism.

Think about this for just a second: it makes absolutely no sense for a coach to intentionally lie to a player about what the NIL will pay him. It would invariably blow up and look bad, just like this. Even worse if it turned out Napier was conspiring with boosters to make false promises. There's just no reason to do so, relative to the fallout when it didn't go through as agreed.

This case is a prime example of lack of communication between two different NIL sources, the coaches, and the player. I can see why he sued everyone to get at the dollars, but the idea that it was planned out this way by Napier and others is simply absurd on its face.

and it should serve as pretty good reasoning for a coach not to get involved. too many moving pieces outside of his control.

make the introduction then gtfo of the way.

 

[Volfan1000]

Napier and UF being sued by Rashada

Court TV and CNN would have a field day in covering this case.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

A two-tiered approach?

Call the elite programs what they are: minor league pro franchises and separate them from the universities except in leased logo, facilities, etc.

Somehow try to form an NCAA 2.0 that acknowledges NIL and transfer issues but emphasizes the student athlete. For me, compensation at that level is not possible because it's not a big business but a college experience.

My big fear is we're over the cliff with the courts ready to declare "student athletes are employees of the colleges." A blanket legal ruling like that can only bankrupt several athletic departments.

 

[lawgator1]

Not your actual university or coaching staff...unless that $1 million alleged bonus from Napier is valid. But they were prepared to include him on the roster, so the whole mess is fruit of the poison tree level stuff. Been arguing with another poster the merits of a lawsuit where the claim is LOST income from Miami when he whelched on that deal to jump for the Gator collective's extra $2 mil. Cautionary tales of birds and hands benefit future greed hopping candidates imo.

I just think the whole thing was a function of disorganization in addressing how to make these deals at the start of the brave new NIL world. Who could communicate with who, what could be said, who was responsible for what, etc.



Boobery by everyone on the UF side of the ledger? Absolutely.

Intentionally lied to him? Highly unlikely.

 

[Model12]

Yet Florida STILL lives rent free in Tennessee Football's Brains...since 1990...

I think you mean 1991.

1990 we won 45-3. Dale Carter baby!

 

[butchna]

I just think the whole thing was a function of disorganization in addressing how to make these deals at the start of the brave new NIL world. Who could communicate with who, what could be said, who was responsible for what, etc.



Boobery by everyone on the UF side of the ledger? Absolutely.

Intentionally lied to him? Highly unlikely.

Not much issue with your point but somebody INTENTIONALLY DEFAULTED. Whether that's lying or simply abandoning on agreed financial responsibilities is a matter for the court to decide.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

I just think the whole thing was a function of disorganization in addressing how to make these deals at the start of the brave new NIL world. Who could communicate with who, what could be said, who was responsible for what, etc.



Boobery by everyone on the UF side of the ledger? Absolutely.

Intentionally lied to him? Highly unlikely.

Whoever the automotive company booster at UF is had some kind of agreement with Rashada to do the NIL via his business, then changed up and said he was selling that business so he wanted to change the deal but it was still on.

Somewhere in there, FL boosters paid back the Miami NIL Rashada already had received to get him out of that situation.

Then, Rashada gets to UF........ and whoever that automotive booster is basically ghosted him.

You're the attorney but it sure sounds like Rashada got the old "bait and switch" from that booster.

 

[lawgator1]

Not much issue with your point but somebody INTENTIONALLY DEFAULTED. Whether that's lying or simply abandoning on agreed financial responsibilities is a matter for the court to decide.

According to the lawsuit it was the booster who at first said he would make payments through a company but then sold the company. An NIL collective could pick up some of the slack, but not all of it. The notion that Napier understood that false promises were being made and did nothing about it just seems very far fetched to me.

 

[lawgator1]

Whoever the automotive company booster at UF is had some kind of agreement with Rashada to do the NIL via his business, then changed up and said he was selling that business so he wanted to change the deal but it was still on.

Somewhere in there, FL boosters paid back the Miami NIL Rashada already had received to get him out of that situation.

Then, Rashada gets to UF........ and whoever that automotive booster is basically ghosted him.

You're the attorney but it sure sounds like Rashada got the old "bait and switch" from that booster.

No idea, but one wonders if he will say that he thought the collective was going to handle it. Would make sense. But I don;t know one way or another.

Why the guy would intentionally do a "bait and switch" as you describe and expose himself to liability for millions escapes me, at least at the moment.

 

[butchna]

According to the lawsuit it was the booster who at first said he would make payments through a company but then sold the company. An NIL collective could pick up some of the slack, but not all of it. The notion that Napier understood that false promises were being made and did nothing about it just seems very far fetched to me.

I don’t have as far to leap on that one. He’s been playing catch-up on NIL (and everything) the second he stepped on the private jet to Gainesville. Not accusing him of having ledgers and abacuses, but he wanted this done in the worst way…imo.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

No idea, but one wonders if he will say that he thought the collective was going to handle it. Would make sense. But I don;t know one way or another.

Why the guy would intentionally do a "bait and switch" as you describe and expose himself to liability for millions escapes me, at least at the moment.

I've no idea why he'd make an NIL deal via a company then sell the company and not have the money to cover the deal, even as proceeds from the sale if nothing else.

Again, I'm not an attorney but the discovery of discussions between the NIL group, this businessman, the staff at UF, and Rashada will likely be something UF would rather not see discussed in open court.

I'm doubtful Napier and staff are more than bit players in this mess but Rashada got screwed, ended up at ASU for a year with zero NIL (apparently.)

Napier and FL and their NIL program are going to get all the negative recruiting from this. They'll settle ASAP, IMO.

 

[Evol]

The end of Billy is coming around

I don’t really want Billy to get fired

 

[S.C. OrangeMan]

Call the elite programs what they are: minor league pro franchises and separate them from the universities except in leased logo, facilities, etc.

Somehow try to form an NCAA 2.0 that acknowledges NIL and transfer issues but emphasizes the student athlete. For me, compensation at that level is not possible because it's not a big business but a college experience.

My big fear is we're over the cliff with the courts ready to declare "student athletes are employees of the colleges." A blanket legal ruling like that can only bankrupt several athletic departments.

Not so. The football programs at even a middling program like Troy puts more than $30 million into the university every year.

 

[turbovol]

and it should serve as pretty good reasoning for a coach not to get involved. too many moving pieces outside of his control.

make the introduction then gtfo of the way.

This is naive. The collective doesn't know anything about the prospects or what value they might have to a program---they get that info from the program, one way or another. They have to. Otherwise, the collective would be shooting in the dark with its offers. It's all a corrupt mess.

 

[LouderVol]

This is naive. The collective doesn't know anything about the prospects or what value they might have to a program---they get that info from the program, one way or another. They have to. Otherwise, the collective would be shooting in the dark with its offers. It's all a corrupt mess.

even in the NFL the HC doesn't work on contract issues. he tells someone who he wants.

it either happens or it doesn't. the HC isn't sitting down between the two and making sure things get done.

 

[volkyries]

.

 

[YankeeVol]

 

[Lawrence Wright]

This could be our Ron Zook at Mississippi State moment.

 

[DaddyChad]

If proof exists that Napier did something it’s conceivable this works out well for florida. They can fire him for cause.

 

[LouderVol]

If proof exists that Napier did something it’s conceivable this works out well for florida. They can fire him for cause.

unless they just want to go with an interim coach for 2024, they would be better off firing him at the end of this season. its going to get bad.

whoever has the job is going to have a crap season.

 

[GVF]

The bottom of the abyss is that these top tier NIL deals for 'elite' players yet to prove they deserve a dime will be more than their rookie contract if they do get drafted to the NFL and NOT in the 1st round. Plus, you will have players go bust in the NFL that could have been better, but spent their college career chasing the NIL isntead of developing so they could get a good draft position.

And there are definitely 2 if not 3 tiers of NIL. You got the Power conference teams of which literaaly half can only play the system at top dollar. Big difference in Bama and Vandy, or Michigan and Minnesota/Rutgers in the same conferences. Then you have the MAC, MW, CUSA, etc., that can only play the money at a greatly lower almost non-existent level.

 

[MercyPercy]

Our previous NIL collective was run by a drunk idiot. We had a really shady dude handling contracts. Some of our bigger boosters are loudmouth clowns. Billy seems to struggle at most aspects of his job. I don't believe there was any grand scheme to defraud Jaden, I think we had a bunch of idiots new to NIL and had no idea what they were doing. Incompetence. We definitely don't look good here, though, and Jaden is right to feel burned (though maybe he should mostly be mad at himself). However I don't think anything illegal occurred.

That being said I'm all for using this as an excuse to fahr Billy for cause without paying his buyout at the end of the year if we have another awful season (likely).

 

[lawgator1]

The bottom of the abyss is that these top tier NIL deals for 'elite' players yet to prove they deserve a dime will be more than their rookie contract if they do get drafted to the NFL and NOT in the 1st round. Plus, you will have players go bust in the NFL that could have been better, but spent their college career chasing the NIL isntead of developing so they could get a good draft position.

And there are definitely 2 if not 3 tiers of NIL. You got the Power conference teams of which literaaly half can only play the system at top dollar. Big difference in Bama and Vandy, or Michigan and Minnesota/Rutgers in the same conferences. Then you have the MAC, MW, CUSA, etc., that can only play the money at a greatly lower almost non-existent level.

Not only that, but take a kid who comes from poverty and hand him $10 million +.

Think he's going to work hard in the weight room and watch film on the weekends?

 

[S.C. OrangeMan]

Pearl clutchers, unite!

Every other college student can go to another school every year. They can work and go to school. If they developed a software company with millions, while enrolled, that's heralded.

Heaven forbid someone with athletic talents use those talents to be paid fair market value.

This x 1,000!