Florida football coach Billy Napier made his first comments about former Florida signee Jaden Rashada’s lawsuit a week after Georgia’s new quarterback filed the complaint against the coach and a Gators backup.
Speaking at the SEC’s spring meetings, Napier made it clear he couldn’t say much due to pending litigation, but said he was “comfortable” with his actions in recruiting Rashada. Your initial response:
“I think it’s important for everyone to understand that I can’t comment because of the litigation, right? But I have confidence in our legal team. I am comfortable with my actions and appreciate the support of the university. Let’s continue like this and let the process take its course.”
Rashada’s lawsuit revolves around an eight-figure NIL deal that Florida allegedly used to induce Rashada to decommit from Miami. The teenager reportedly signed the deal that promised him $13.8 million with $500,000 up front, signed his letter of intent with Florida and requested release when the first payment fell through.
The process specifically claims that Napier pressured Rashada to sign the letter of intent before receiving any payment. His subsequent release left Rashada a free agent at a time when most other schools had already drafted their quarterback into the class, but he ended up at his father’s alma mater, Arizona State.
The entire situation remains one of the biggest disasters of the NIL era. Napier, former Florida NIL director and player involvement Marcus Castro-Walker and Florida defenseman Hugh Hathcock are defendants in Rashada’s lawsuit, but not the school.
Napier said Tuesday he didn’t think Florida suffered much because of what happened to Rashada, by The Athletic:
“A lot of this narrative has been around for a long time, right?” Napier said. “I think we got this question two years ago or a year and a half ago. And I don’t necessarily think it’s slowed us down to any degree. So look. Let’s move on. This process is ongoing – I think ultimately it’s the NCAA process. We can’t say much more than that. I think ultimately we have to treat all parts of our organization – recruits, families – we have to treat them the same way we treat the media. The big problem is yes. I am very grateful for the university’s support. We have confidence in our legal team.”
Florida also remains under investigation by the NCAA over the failed deal.
Rashada will pursue this litigation while playing for one of Florida’s main rivals after transferring to Georgia last month.
