admin 
Jaden Rashada Lawsuit Details
Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada has filed a lawsuit against Florida coach Billy Napier, top Gators booster Hugh Hathcock, and former football staffer Marcus Castro-Walker over a failed name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal that was supposed to pay him $13.85 million, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.
This groundbreaking lawsuit marks the first time an active SEC quarterback has sued a sitting rival head coach over an NIL deal. It highlights the early chaos of NIL agreements, which often included big promises but lacked oversight. Rashada became a symbol of this turmoil after his Florida deal fell through.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Pensacola, accuses Napier, Hathcock, and others of fraudulently inducing Rashada, then a highly regarded high school quarterback, to attend Florida with no intention of honoring their financial promises. The lawsuit lists several claims, including “fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, aiding and abetting fraud, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, negligent misrepresentation, tortious interference with a business relationship or contract, and aiding and abetting tortious interference.”
The lawsuit states, “Hathcock (on behalf of himself and Velocity Automotive), Castro-Walker, and Coach Napier orchestrated and executed a fraud upon Jaden and were substantially and knowingly assisted by one another in carrying out the fraud.”
Rashada has hired Houston-area attorney Rusty Hardin, known for representing notable athletes like Roger Clemens and Adrian Peterson, to handle the case. Hardin has been involved since January 2023 when Rashada’s agents, Jackson Zager and Tommy Thomsen, began exploring legal options after Florida boosters allegedly backed out of the NIL deal.
The core issue revolves around actions taken by Napier, Hathcock, and his company, Velocity Automotive, as well as Castro-Walker convincing Rashada to turn down a $9.5 million NIL deal with Miami to attend Florida. Rashada had initially committed to Miami in June 2022 but was persuaded to switch to Florida with promises of a $13.85 million deal. Hathcock reportedly assured Rashada that “whatever Jaden needed to come to UF, Hathcock would make happen.” The lawsuit also claims that Rashada’s father was promised a job in the security industry, which is against NCAA rules.
The deal included $5.35 million from Hathcock’s Velocity Automotive and the rest from Gator Guard, an NIL collective started by Hathcock. However, Hathcock later informed Rashada’s representatives that he no longer wanted to route the NIL payments through his company because he planned to sell it. Instead, the money was to come directly from Hathcock and the Gator Collective. Eddie Rojas, CEO of Gator Collective, allegedly texted Zager about the deal, saying, “Tell Jaden we look forward to setting him up for life. Need to set up his brokerage accounts asap. Dude is rich and we just got started.” The deal was signed on November 10, 2022, with the first $500,000 payment due on December 5.
The lawsuit claims Hathcock never intended to make the payment, and everyone involved, including Napier, knew this. “The collective never had the money and yet they were making all of these promises to the kid,” Hardin told CBS Sports. “You dangle life-changing, generation-changing money in front of a 19-year-old kid, who grew up without it, you can’t expect that young person to not be affected by it. The bargaining power is totally unequal here.”
A day after the first payment was due, the Gator Collective sent Rashada a termination letter for the $13.85 million deal. Despite this, the lawsuit claims Napier and Castro-Walker continued to assure Rashada that they would fulfill the financial promises. Castro-Walker allegedly told Rashada’s agents that the Gator Guard would take over the payments and that “Hathcock, through the Gator Guard, would personally guarantee the $13.85 million obligation himself.” The only payment made was $150,000 to repay John Ruiz, a Miami booster, to avoid litigation over the initial $9.5 million NIL deal.
“LifeWallet nor John H. Ruíz ever had any deal with Rashada that amounted to $9.5 million. LifeWallet had a very small deal with Rashada while he was in high school,” Ruiz said in a statement to CBS Sports. “Rashada and his father are stand-up individuals. To date, I personally have a very good relationship with both. They both know we dealt with them honestly and fairly as we have always done with all NIL players.”
The lawsuit alleges that on December 21, the first day of the early signing period, Napier personally assured Rashada that Florida alumni would provide $1 million if he signed with UF. Harlen Rashada texted Zager, “Coach Napier said [Hathcock’s] on a plane and that he will wire 1 Mil. He wants the paperwork and I’m sending it if you are good.” It also claims Castro-Walker threatened Rashada that if he did not sign, Napier might pull his scholarship offer.
Hardin stated that Napier should not have been making those promises, which were against NCAA rules. “That’s not a role he should have been involved in, he shouldn’t have made those promises and he should have stayed out of that whole area,” Hardin said. “He didn’t.”
Rashada requested a release from his letter of intent with Florida less than a month after early signing day. He chose to attend Arizona State, his father’s alma mater, where he was not promised any NIL compensation. He started three games for Arizona State in his first season and won his debut as a true freshman. Rashada transferred to Georgia this spring.
Rashada informed Georgia coach Kirby Smart about the lawsuit, and Smart supported his decision.
Castro-Walker no longer works for Florida, but the school has not provided details. The NCAA was investigating the case, including interviews with relevant parties and Florida’s cooperation. However, after the ruling in the Tennessee and Virginia versus NCAA lawsuit, which barred the NCAA from enforcing NIL-related compensation rules, the investigation slowed down.
The lawsuit claims Rashada lost the $9.5 million NIL deal with Miami and other NIL compensation. It also seeks punitive damages, arguing that Rashada is a victim in a new era where wealthy boosters have more influence than ever.
“Jaden’s miserable experience reveals, in stark and dramatic detail, what can happen to young student-athletes when wealthy, win-at-all-cost alumni insert themselves into college football’s recruiting process,” the lawsuit says.
About The Author
