A bunch 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.
The plaintiffs are Darin Green Jr., Josh Nickleberry, Primo Spears, Cam’Ron Fletcher, De’Ante Green and Jalen Warley.
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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 Arena. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
However, the lawsuit acknowledged the gamers by no means acquired fee regardless of Hamilton making public guarantees throughout two group conferences in addition to particular person conversations with a few of the gamers and their respective households.
In truth, a few of the gamers transferred to the Seminoles program beneath the peace of mind they’d be made NIL compensation.
The lawsuit additionally supplies textual content chains amongst gamers, in addition to threads between gamers and Hamilton. Will Cowen, an govt with one of many NIL collectives Florida State has, can also be in textual content chains with gamers.
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 recreation in opposition to Duke as a consequence of their frustration with unpaid NIL cash. They additionally claimed they have been going to boycott the sport, although Hamilton found that plan and allegedly instructed the gamers that cash could be of their accounts the subsequent week.
Florida State in the end performed the sport, dropping to Duke, 76-67.
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)
“We help Coach Hamilton’s proper to defend himself in opposition to these allegations and stay up for an expeditious decision of this matter,” the college stated in a press release, via ESPN.
This lawsuit could also be unprecedented, however this isn’t the primary time followers have heard about NIL compensation being the foundation of a proper between participant and program.
There was Matthew Sluka at UNLV, who abruptly left the soccer group as their beginning quarterback as a consequence of his coach allegedly promising him a $100,000 NIL deal that was by no means acquired. 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.
In this case, 4 of the gamers have since transferred away from Florida State as a consequence of not being compensated, whereas two others are now not eligible to play collegiately.
Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton appears on in opposition to the LSU Tigers throughout the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)
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“Every participant on the 2023-24 FSU males’s basketball group roster relied on the guarantees that Hamilton made after they both determined to switch to FSU or stay enrolled at FSU and play out the season,” the swimsuit says, through Yahoo Sports. “However, because the season continued, many gamers, together with the plaintiffs, turned very pissed off by the continual failure to carry out on the myriad of guarantees issued by Hamilton.”
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