A gaggle of former Florida State Seminoles basketball gamers filed a groundbreaking lawsuit in opposition to their former coach, Leonard Hamilton, over unpaid guarantees of NIL compensation that reaches a whopping whole of $1.5 million.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Leon County circuit courtroom in Florida, has six former Seminoles claiming Hamilton, a 37-year head coach with a profession at Oklahoma State and Miami earlier than taking the Florida State job in 2002, promised every of them $250,000 in NIL funds by means of “enterprise companions,” per Yahoo Sports activities.Â
The plaintiffs are Darin Inexperienced Jr., Josh Nickleberry, Primo Spears, Cam’Ron Fletcher, De’Ante Inexperienced and Jalen Warley.Â
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Florida State Seminoles guard Primo Spears, #23, talks with Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton in opposition to the Virginia Tech Hokies within the second half at Capital One Enviornment. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Nevertheless, the lawsuit said the gamers by no means obtained fee regardless of Hamilton making public guarantees throughout two group conferences in addition to particular person conversations with among the gamers and their respective households.Â
The truth is, among the gamers transferred to the Seminoles program underneath the peace of mind they’d be made NIL compensation.Â
The lawsuit additionally supplies textual content chains amongst gamers, in addition to threads between gamers and Hamilton. Will Cowen, an government with one of many NIL collectives Florida State has, can also be in textual content chains with gamers.Â
UNLV DENIES EVER AGREEING TO 6-FIGURE NIL DEAL WITH DEPARTING QB AFTER FATHER CLAIMS PAYMENTS WERE WITHHELD
What makes this lawsuit much more intriguing is that gamers declare they “walked out of the health club” throughout a follow earlier than the group’s Feb. 17 sport in opposition to Duke because of their frustration with unpaid NIL cash. In addition they claimed they have been going to boycott the sport, although Hamilton found that plan and allegedly informed the gamers that cash can be of their accounts the subsequent week.
Florida State finally performed the sport, shedding to Duke, 76-67.Â
Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton on the sideline in opposition to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets within the second half at McCamish Pavilion. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports activities)
“We assist Coach Hamilton’s proper to defend himself in opposition to these allegations and look ahead to an expeditious decision of this matter,” the college stated in a press release, through ESPN.
This lawsuit could also be unprecedented, however this isn’t the primary time followers have heard about NIL compensation being the basis of a proper between participant and program.Â
There was Matthew Sluka at UNLV, who abruptly left the soccer group as their beginning quarterback because of his coach allegedly promising him a $100,000 NIL deal that was by no means obtained. Then, there was Jaden Rashada, the previous Florida Gators quarterback, who filed a lawsuit in opposition to head coach Billy Napier for an unpaid $13 million NIL fee he was promised throughout recruitment.Â
On this case, 4 of the gamers have since transferred away from Florida State because of not being compensated, whereas two others are not eligible to play collegiately.Â
Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton appears on in opposition to the LSU Tigers through the first half at Pete Maravich Meeting Middle. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Photos)
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“Each participant on the 2023-24 FSU males’s basketball group roster relied on the guarantees that Hamilton made once they both determined to switch to FSU or stay enrolled at FSU and play out the season,” the swimsuit says, through Yahoo Sports activities. “Nevertheless, because the season continued, many gamers, together with the plaintiffs, turned very annoyed by the continual failure to carry out on the myriad of guarantees issued by Hamilton.”
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