Jaden Rashada has secured a victory in his ongoing legal case against representatives from the Florida Gators football team and one of their boosters.
Rashada filed a lawsuit last year naming Florida head football coach Billy Napier, Florida booster Hugh Hathcock, Florida director of NIL and player engagement Marcus Castro-Walker, and Velocity Automotive Solutions, LLC (Hathcock’s company) in federal court in Florida.
Rashada, a former 5-star quarterback, alleged that Florida had offered him $13.85 million in an NIL deal to flip his commitment from Miami to the Gators, which he did. He never ended up playing for Florida though after having issues with his NIL deal being paid out. Rashada asked for a release from his signed Letter of Intent after he says Florida reneged on his promised $500,000 signing bonus.
Rashada’s amended complaint involved 8 claims under which his attorney believed Florida violated the law. The defendants filed a motion to dismiss the claims.
On Tuesday, Judge M. Casey Rodgers made his ruling and decided the three claims of fraud and one claim of conspiracy-to-defraud could proceed, but decided to dismiss the tortious interference claims. Rashada has 14 days to amend his complaint. It can otherwise proceed to discovery and then trial.
Rashada’s attorney Rusty Hardin issued the following statement:
“We appreciate the thorough and thoughtful opinion. It will serve as a North Star for other athletes seeking justice after being done wrong on the NIL front by coaches and boosters. We look forward to discovery fully exposing the defendants’ conduct for all to see,” Hardin said.
Rashada wound up enrolling at Arizona State after his deal with Florida fell through. He transferred to Georgia for the 2024 season and is now looking to transfer to what would effectively be his fourth school.
