"I'm not a fan of lawsuits": SEC commissioner Greg Sankey weighs in on Georgia QB Jaden Rashada's lawsuit against Florida HC Billy Napier
Billy Napier's Florida Gators are currently embroiled in a legal fight with former four-star recruit quarterback Jaden Rashada over an unpaid NIL deal. The alleged deal was valued at the outstanding sum of $13.85 million, and Rashada argues that the economic incentive, which was never paid, was used to bring him into Gainsville under pretenses.
At a Monday press conference, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey revealed that the higher-ups in the SEC aren't fans of the current situation which sees Rashada, now with the Georgia Bulldogs, becoming the first active SEC player to sue an active coach from the conference.
"I'm not a fan of lawsuits," Sankey said.
He also revealed this isn't the only legal quarrel involving a coach in the SEC:
"Not the only lawsuit involving a coach over the last year, won't be the last, we have a legal system and people have a right to pursue what they view as grievances and the legal system serves that out."
What does Jaden Rashada's lawsuit claim about Billy Napier and Florida?
According to Jaden Rashada, he was lured into Florida by Billy Napier and substantial Gators boosters with the promise of financial rewards.
Rashada was initially committed to Miami, and he went back on that promise after being offered a $13.85 million deal to be paid over four years by Florida. The first payment was supposed to be around half a million dollars to be paid in December 2022. The payment was never made.
Here's a direct excerpt from Jaden Rashada's lawsuit against Florida head coach Billy Napier, per CBS Sports:
"Hathcock (on behalf of himself and Velocity Automotive), Castro-Walker and Coach Napier orchestrated and executed a fraud upon Jaden and were substantially and knowingly assisted by one another in carrying out the fraud, each of their individual schemes would not have succeeded without assistance from one another."
Following the broken promise, Rashada was a no-show in January at Florida. The signal caller would go on to join Arizona State on February 1, ten days after the Gators liberated him from a National Letter of Intent.