Florida football coach Billy Napier, along with co-defendants Hugh Hathcock and Marcus Castro-Walker, have sought dismissal of former signee Jaden Rashada’s $10 million lawsuit related to a failed name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. The motion to dismiss was filed in U.S. District Court in Pensacola. The lawsuit, filed by Rashada’s attorney Rusty Hardin, claims that Napier, Hathcock, and Castro-Walker reneged on a $13.85 million agreement to secure Rashada’s commitment to the Gators, alleging fraud.
Hardin’s complaint suggests that the three men had neither the financial means nor the intention to honor the deal, which aimed to flip Rashada’s commitment from Miami to Florida. However, Castro-Walker’s attorney, Hal Lewis, argues that text messages and phone conversations show Castro-Walker’s sincere efforts to persuade Rashada to attend UF, and he did not act with ill intent. Lewis contends that as a UF employee, Castro-Walker is entitled to sovereign immunity, a protection granted to state agency workers, which Napier would also receive.
Napier’s attorney, Hank Coxe III, argues that the complaint lacks evidence of Napier’s wrongdoing, noting that the only statement attributed to Napier was made after Rashada had already moved on from the Miami deal. Hathcock’s attorney, Jason Peterson, similarly claims that the lawsuit contains speculative assertions without factual support, emphasizing that there is no breach-of-contract claim despite frequent mentions of a “promise.”
Rashada initially committed to Miami in June 2022 after reportedly agreeing to a $9.5 million deal with Miami booster John Ruiz. Despite Hathcock’s efforts, including an estimated net worth of $500 million and his own NIL collective, Gator Guard, Rashada flipped his commitment to Florida in November 2022 under a $13.8 million contract orchestrated by Castro-Walker, Hathcock, and Eddie Rojas, founder of The Gator Collective. This deal fell through, leading to Rashada’s lawsuit.
As the situation unfolded, Rashada awaited a $500,000 payment, and upon not receiving it, delayed signing his scholarship papers. Napier assured Rashada and his father that Hathcock would send $1 million post-signing. Rashada eventually transferred from Arizona State to Georgia after being released from his letter of intent by UF in January 2023.
