A group of former Florida State Seminoles basketball players has filed a landmark lawsuit against former coach Leonard Hamilton over unpaid NIL compensation promises totaling $1.5 million.
The lawsuit, filed in Florida's Leon County Circuit Court, alleges that Hamilton, who was head coach for 37 years at Oklahoma State University and the University of Miami before taking over at Florida State University in 2002, is He claims he was promised a reward of $250,000. According to Yahoo Sports, NIL payments are made through “business partners.”
The plaintiffs are Darin Green Jr., Josh Nickleberry, Primo Spears, Camron Fletcher, DeAnte Green, and Jalen Worley.
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Florida State University Seminoles guard Primo Spears, number 23, speaks with Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton during the second half of a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Capital One Arena. (Jeff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
But the lawsuit said the players have not been paid, despite Hamilton's commitments in two team meetings and individual conversations with some players and their families.
In fact, some players transferred to the Seminoles program with the guarantee that NIL compensation would be paid.
The lawsuit provides threads between players and Hamilton, as well as text chains between players. Will Cowen, an executive with one of Florida State's NIL collectives, also has text chains with players.
UNLV denies agreeing to six-figure zero contract with departing QB after payment of father's claims is withheld
What makes this lawsuit even more interesting is that the players allege that they “came out of the gym” during practice before a game against Duke on February 17th due to frustration over non-payment of NIL. That's true. They also claimed they were planning to boycott the match, but Hamilton allegedly discovered the plan and told the players the money would be deposited into their accounts the following week.
Florida State ended up playing the game, losing to Duke 76-67.
Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton stands on the sideline during the second half of the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)
“We support Coach Hamilton's right to defend himself against these allegations and look forward to a speedy resolution of this matter,” the university said in a statement. Via ESPN.
This lawsuit may be unprecedented, but it's not the first time fans have heard that NIL compensation is the backbone of rights between players and programs.
UNLV had Matthew Sulka, who abruptly resigned as the football team's starting QB after the coach allegedly promised him a $100,000 NIL contract but did not accept. Next, former Florida Gators quarterback Jayden Rashada filed a lawsuit against head coach Billy Napier for unpaid NIL of $13 million that he was promised at the time of his hiring.
In this case, four of the players transferred from Florida State because they were not compensated, and the other two are no longer eligible to play in college.
Florida State University Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton watches the first half of the game against the LSU Tigers at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. (Stephen Lu-Iman image)
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“All players on the 2023-24 FSU men's basketball team roster rely on the commitments Hamilton made when deciding whether to transfer to FSU or play the season while enrolled at FSU. ,” the lawsuit states, via Yahoo Sports. “However, as the season continued, many players, including Plaintiff, became extremely frustrated that the countless promises made by Hamilton continued to go unfulfilled.”
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