Current:Home > reviewsFlorida coach Billy Napier talks Jaden Rashada lawsuit and why he is 'comfortable' with actions -MoneyBase
Florida coach Billy Napier talks Jaden Rashada lawsuit and why he is 'comfortable' with actions
View
Date:2025-04-19 05:47:35
Florida football coach Billy Napier offered his first public comments since being sued by five-star quarterback Jaden Rashada last week, saying he was comfortable in the decisions he made.
Napier, booster Hugh Hathcock and former Florida Gators football staffer Marcus Castro-Walker were named in the suit last week, which accused the three of fraud for failing to follow through on a $13.8 million Name, Image and Likeness deal that Rashada claimed was promised to him during the 2022-23 recruiting cycle.
Specifically, the lawsuit claims Napier promised Rashada and his family $1 million to sign with Florida on signing day. Rashada signed with Florida on Dec. 21, 2022, but didn't enroll at the school the following month and was released from his national letter of intent in late January of 2023.
The University of Florida and Florida's athletic department were not named in the suit but will provide counsel for Napier to fight the suit.
"I can't comment due to the litigation," Napier said at SEC spring meetings in Destin on Tuesday. "But I do have confidence in my legal team. I am comfortable with my actions and I am thankful for the university's support. We'll leave it at that and let the process take its course."
Asked how it has impacted momentum for the program during a positive spring for Florida in terms of workouts and the transfer portal, Napier responded: "I spent about 30 minutes observing our team this morning before coming here. We officially started our offseason program for the summer this morning. That's what gives me confidence. We executed the first half of the offseason the best we've done since we've been here. We certainly have evolved, we've adapted, and I feel good about our systems. We've got credible leadership."
LOOKING AHEAD: Our too-early college football Top 25 after spring practice
RE-RANK: After spring practice, every college football teams ranked from 1-134
Napier also declined to comment about Castro-Walker's dismissal, but remains confident that the lawsuit won't negatively impact Florida in recruiting.
"This narrative has been out there a long time," Napier said. "I think we got that question two years ago, a year and a half ago, and I don't think it's necessarily slowed us down."
Rashada enrolled at Arizona State and has since transferred to Georgia. When asked about a quarterback from a rival school suing another coach within the conference, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday he was not a fan of lawsuits.
“It’s not the only lawsuit involving a coach over the last year," Sankey told the Athens Banner Herald's Marc Weiszer. "It won’t be the last. We have a legal system and people have rights to pursue what they view as grievances and the legal system sorts that out.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun Florida beat writer. Contact him at KBrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevinBrockwayG1
veryGood! (347)
Related
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Pac-12 adding four Mountain West schools Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State
- Authorities find no smoking gun in Nassar records held by Michigan State University
- Early childhood development nonprofit Brilliant Detroit set to expand nationally
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- WNBA players criticize commissioner for downplaying social media vitriol
- Justin Timberlake reaches plea deal to resolve drunken driving case, AP source says
- Campbell wants to say goodbye to the ‘soup’ in its name. It isn’t the first to make such a change
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Trainer Gunnar Peterson’s Daughter, 4, Cancer Free After Bone Marrow Transplant From Brother
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- 2024 MTV VMAs Red Carpet Fashion: See Every Look as the Stars Arrive
- Charges filed months after a pro-Palestinian camp was cleared at University of Michigan
- 10 best new TV shows to watch this fall, from 'Matlock' to 'The Penguin'
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Francine slams Southeast; most of New Orleans without power: Live updates
- Dutch adopt US war graves to harbor memories of the country’s liberation 80 years ago
- California mom faces felony charges after 3-year-old daughter dies in hot car
Recommendation
Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
Kids arrested, schools closed amid wave of threats after Georgia shooting
Linkin Park setlist: All songs in the From Zero World Tour kickoff with Emily Armstrong
Real Housewives of Potomac's Karen Huger Breaks Silence on DUI Car Crash in Dramatic Season 9 Trailer
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Cardi B Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Estranged Husband Offset
NFL sets record, averages 21 million viewers per game in Week 1
DHL sues MyPillow, alleging company founded by Mike Lindell owes $800,000