Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada is suing Florida head coach Billy Napier and a Florida booster for fraud. Following an alleged NIL deal of almost $14 million fell through. Initially, Rashada was to sign with the Miami Hurricanes for a $9.5 million package. But Florida Gators continued to pursue Rashada aggressively. Thus, it lured him away from The U. Led by mega booster Hugh Hathcock, the Gators upped the College Football Betting ante. And they convinced Rashada to commit to Florida instead. But Florida is alleged to have later reneged on the deal.
College Football Futures 2024 Florida Gators
| Odds to Win National Championship | +12500 |
|---|---|
| Odds to Win SEC Championship: | +10000 |
| Over/Under Win Total: | 4.5 |
2024 Florida Schedule
- Aug. 31 – Miami
- Sept. 7 – Samford
- Sept. 14 – Texas A&M
- Sept. 21 – at Miss State
- Sept. 28 – Bye
- Oct. 5 – UCF
- Oct. 12 – at Tennessee
- Oct. 19 – Kentucky
- Oct. 26 – Bye
- Nov. 2 – Georgia (in Jacksonville)
- Nov. 9 – at Texas
- Nov. 16 – LSU
- No. 23 – Ole Miss
- Nov. 30 – at Florida State
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Including its other sports betting problems, in the suit are allegations that Rashada never received a promised $500,000 bonus payment. It is alleged that Hathcock and Napier made repeated assurances that Rashada would be paid the bonus. But he never was.
After falling out at Florida, Rashada, a 4-Star recruit, transferred to Arizona State for a brief period before ending up at Georgia. Rashada has retained famed and feared powerhouse sports attorney Rusty Hardin for his case. Previously, Hardin represented such notable stars as baseball’s Roger Clemens and football’s Warren Moon and Deshaun Watson.
Billy Napier was already feeling the College Football Betting heat of a 5-7 first season at Florida. But to quickly change the narrative, Napier knew that he needed a strong recruiting class with big-name talent. It is alleged that Napier put the maximum amount of pressure on Rashada and Florida boosters to finalize
Since the deal fell through, both sides have been preparing for this day. Thus, the lawsuit is not a bombshell to Florida or Napier. What is interesting is that the University of Florida is not specifically named in the suit. Instead, it is Napier and Hathcock who are named.
Certainly, numerous warnings about the current lawless nature of college football have been made over the past few months. The House vs. NCAA case is likely going to be the pivotal and defining moment of reformation or bankruptcy for college sports. The Rashada case is the latest example of what can go wrong when there are no rules.
Among the reasons why Nick Saban retired was regarding NIL and the transfer portal. The Rashada case is a perfect example of how the Nicktator got out while the getting was good. Saban can seem ham-handed and out of touch with his comments regarding today’s state of college. But he is a lot more correct than he is wrong.
So, too, is Dabo Swinney looking a lot better today. Currently, Dabo is taking all kinds of heat for coming up empty in the transfer portal. But Dabo is recruiting well so far in his 2025 class and is not facing a multi-million dollar fraud lawsuit. Score one for the good guys. Also smelling like a rose today is Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule and his demanding take-it-or-leave-it culture.
To conclude, times are hard and getting harder for Florida.