Florida AD Scott Stricklin addresses Jaden Rashada's lawsuit against Gators HC: "I got a tremendous amount of trust in Billy Napier"
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin has publicly backed football head coach Billy Napier amid Georgia Bulldogs QB Jaden Rashada's lawsuit filed against Napier.
When Trey Wallace of the OutKick met Stricklin during SEC spring meetings, he had to ask his thoughts on Billy Napier's composed comments on the Rashada case. The Gators AD spoke quite glowingly about his head football coach:
“I’ve got a tremendous amount of trust in Billy. Not only who he is as a person, but how he conducts himself, how he treats other people,” Stricklin said about the Gators HC.
It seems like the AD and HC of Florida have to stay tight-lipped in order to not provide any further legal action from the court. That is why when asked about their views, Napier and Stricklin gave a straightforward answer.
In a statement where he said he was comfortable with his actions amid the lawsuit, Napier thanked the university for supporting him in the controversy.
“Look, it's important for everybody to understand, I can't comment due to the litigation. But I do have confidence in our legal team. I’m comfortable with my actions and I’m thankful for the university’s support,” he told reporters.
Stricklin hired Napier as head coach in December 2022. Napier has a record of just 11-14 in his first two seasons as the team's head coach, including 5-7 last year, their fewest wins in a season since 2017.
Why is Billy Napier getting sued by Jaden Rashada?
Billy Napier, football staffer Marcus Castro-Walker, and a powerful Gator booster are getting sued by Rashada because the QB claimed that the Florida head coach and the booster allegedly defrauded him of millions of dollars.
Rashada claimed that he was promised a whopping $13.85 million NIL deal after he turned down offers from other schools and committed to Florida.
Additionally, it was alleged that when Rashada signed his national letter of intent to Florida in December 2022, his father was promised a $1 million "partial payment" upon signing. Jaden claimed to have never received that amount.
The University of Florida is providing Napier legal support for the case.