Jaden Rashada, the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs, is suing Billy Napier, the coach of the Florida Gators, and prominent supporters of the University of Florida athletic department for not fulfilling their end of a non-compete agreement that would have paid him around $14 million.
Before switching his comments to Florida, 20-year-old Rashada had committed to play collegiate football with the Miami Hurricanes. After learning from reporters that the Gators had extended a NIL contract worth $13.85 million, he decided to recommit from Miami and make a commitment to in-state rival Florida.
See also: College football players’ highest salaries determined by NIL values
But just as he was about to sign with Florida, the 6-foot-4 quarterback asked to have his National Letter of Intent revoked. Rashada reportedly cited the $13.85 million NIL deal’s failure as the reason for his decision to quit the Gators football program.
During his first season, Rashada played for the Arizona State Sun Devils, where he completed 53.7 percent of his 82 passes for 485 yards and a 4-3 touchdown-interception ratio. On August 31, when he made his first collegiate start and threw for 236 passing yards and two touchdowns, he played the most.
Top Power 4 institutions expressed interest in the former Sun Devils quarterback as soon as he hit the transfer portal in April. He moved to the University of Georgia on April 25 in an attempt to challenge Gunner Stockton for the position of backup quarterback for Carson Beck in 2024.
Rashada is suing Napier and numerous Florida Gators boosters, alleging he was duped out of millions of dollars in the NIL contract they backed out of, according to a lawsuit acquired by Paula Lavigne and Dan Murphy of ESPN.
According to Rashada’s lawsuit, on December 21, 2022, he signed his national letter of intent with Florida after Napier reportedly promised his father a $1 million “partial payment” that same day. Rashada’s family, however, never got that money.
“Sadly, unethical and illegal tactics like this are more and more commonplace in the Wild West that is today’s college football landscape. As the first scholar-athlete to take a stand against such egregious behavior by adults who should know better, Jaden seeks to hold Defendants accountable for their actions and to expose the unchecked abuse of power that they shamelessly wielded.
As far as we know, Rashada is the first collegiate athlete to sue a coach or booster for allegedly failing to provide the promised non-monetary award. But over the past year, there have been persistent whispers across the NCAA that other colleges and sponsors have not fulfilled their NIL pledges.
A $2 billion settlement related to the House v. NCAA case is being considered by the NCAA and the Power 4 conference during this entire process. The deal could have a significant impact on college athletics, perhaps allowing institutions to pay student-athletes directly through legally enforceable contract agreements. If approved by NCAA regulators, the settlement will result in a $2.7 payout to college athletes.
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