Three Florida Gators, including Billy Napier, file to dismiss Jaden Rashada lawsuit

Florida Football coach Billy Napier and two others have filed motions to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former quarterback signee Jaden Rashada over a failed $13.85 million name, image and likeness deal.

Napier, booster Hugh Hathcock, and former staff member Marcus Castro-Walker are named in the lawsuit, which alleges fraud and other misconduct in luring Rashada away from Miami with false promises of NIL compensation.

Rashada, who eventually played one season at Arizona State before transferring to Georgia, claims he was misled about the financial terms of his commitment to Florida. The quarterback had been considered a favorite to land with the Gators, but verbally committed to Miami in June 2022. He then decommitted in November of 2022 and promptly flipped to Florida. He signed his letter of intent in December of that year, but never made it to campus and wound up being released from his national letter of intent of January of 2023.

Among other things, his lawsuit specifically alleges Napier promised a $1 million payment if Rashada signed with the Gators on National Signing Day.

In their motions, Napier, Hathcock, and Castro-Walker denied the allegations, arguing there is insufficient evidence to support the claims. Napier’s motion contends he could not have defrauded Rashada because the alleged promises were made after Rashada had already abandoned his Miami NIL deal. Castro-Walker’s filing characterizes the lawsuit as “fiction.”

Castro-Walker was fired by the Gators back in February shortly after it was announced he was named in an NCAA investigation regarding the Rashada saga. That investigation has since been paused.

Hathcock had helped start up the Gator Guard, an NIL collective for Florida. Since then, its operations have been halted as Florida has put its efforts behind Florida Victorious.

Napier will be leading the Gators onto the field on August 31 against Miami.