Billy Napier and Florida Booster Being Sued Over Failed $13.85M NIL Deal With Quarterback Jaden Rashada

As if things couldn't get any worse for the University of Florida. Not only do they have the hardest schedule in college football and a 4.5 win total, but they also have a massive lawsuit on their hands. I had no idea how lucrative these NIL deals were until I looked into this case, and let me just say, there are going to be a lot of college football players who will never have to play a down in the NFL. Shit, they might not have to play a snap in college. Rashada's NIL was worth up to $13.85 MILLION, and he hasn't played a snap! Florida was going to give him $500K upfront, and then MONTHLY payments of $250,000!!! Could you imagine being a Freshman in college with $500,000 in your bank account, and then getting an additional $250,000 a month?? I don't know how college coaches do it these days. I could only imagine how difficult it is to get an 18-year old making over a million dollars a year to listen to what you have to say. 

Coach: "Hey 13 go take a lap" 

Player: "No thanks coach, I got another quarter million hitting my bank account after practice, you go take a lap"

I doubt that actually happens, but it wouldn't surprise me if it does. 

Anyway, back to Rashada. Rashada had a verbal commitment to the University of Miami that came with a $9.5 million price tag. In an attempt to get Rashada to flip, the University of Florida offered him an additional $4 million and a "potential" job for his dad. Obviously, just like any 18-year-old would, he took the offer and flipped to Florida. However, with the current state of college football, everything comes with a price. You can't just flip from a school that has already given you $150,000. So, Florida's booster, Hathcock, wired Rashada $150,000 so he could pay back the money he received from the University of Miami.

Everything seemed to be going well for both Rashada and the University of Florida until National Signing Day. As you all know, National Signing Day is the biggest day in college football. It's the day when the future of college football puts pen to paper, and programs—and now bank accounts—change forever. The only thing is, Rashada never received a written contract for his $13.85 million NIL deal. In an attempt to get Rashada to sign his national letter of intent, Billy Napier called Rashada and "promised" him a $1 million payment. Rashada committed to the University of Florida that night but never received the payment. Which brings us to where we are today.

I'm not a lawyer, I have no clue what is going to happen in the coming months, but if I had to guess the University of Florida will have the advantage in terms of representation. I doubt either side wants this to go to court, so it wouldn't surprise me if both sides met in the middle and settled on a lump sum of cash. 

Only time will tell.