Florida Gator’s head coach Billy Napier is being sued for “fake promises.” Recently, Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada claimed that Napier and his Gators staff promised him a huge $13.85 million deal over four years — a promise that allegedly never materialized. However, Rashada, believing in these promises, had initially flipped his commitment from Miami, where the team’s booster had allegedly offered him a $9.5 million NIL deal. Unfortunately, his decision hasn’t panned out as expected, as he now finds himself behind Georgia’s star quarterback Carson Beck on the depth chart. Thus, frustrated with this turn of events, Rashada decided to take legal action.
While many fans and analysts support the quarterback, Napier has remained silent throughout the ordeal. However, Napier’s silence seems to be working in his favor, as a former Broncos guard, Matt McChesney, has come to his defense.
McChesney casts doubt on Jaden Rashada’s lawsuit
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Matt McChesney, speaking on The Coach JB Show with Big Smitty, disagreed with what Rashada claimed in his lawsuit. He expressed strong skepticism regarding the alleged $14 million offer, stating, “First of all, I do not believe in any way shape, or form that he got $14 million dollar offer. I just don’t.” McChesney further reasoned that if such a contract existed, Rashada would have nothing to lose by making it public. In fact, it would “help his case rather than hurt it.”
Thus, McChesney found it suspicious that Rashada has not yet revealed the alleged contract, stating, “If he signed a contract that is binding for 14 million god damn dollars…and he won’t put it out there publicly, then he didn’t sign a contract for 14 million god damn dollars.”
According to the complaint, Jaden Rashada signed a $9.5 million NIL deal with Miami booster John Ruiz.
The founder of LifeWallet would later be paid $150K by Rashada, and the cash was provided by UF booster Hugh Hathcock so the QB could avoid litigation, the filing states.… pic.twitter.com/ImNI0yKRqI
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) May 21, 2024
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He reiterated Rashada’s claims, stating, “This kid from his mouth has a contract” and “That contract is supposedly in his possession.” He confirmed this with his co-host and added, “So the other guys have the contract too, I’m assuming, Napier and all them.” Thus he thinks that if this written contract really exists but no one has shown it, then the whole story might be made up. However, some people think Rashada might have “some proof” to support his claim.
Billy Napier’s broken promises are yet to be proved
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The lawsuit against Billy Napier doesn’t just involve the alleged $14 million promise. It also includes claims of additional broken promises. Reportedly, Napier personally assured Rashada’s father of a $1 million payment upon signing, over a phone call, which never happened. Instead, Rashada received only $150,000, allegedly to repay a Miami booster after backing out of his commitment to the Hurricanes.
This situation has caused a lot of people to criticize Napier, with Blain Crain even saying he should be fired from the Gators. Blain also acknowledged Rashada’s lawsuit, stating, “They wouldn’t have brought it up if they really didn’t have anything on him.” Now, it remains to be seen if Rashada will present any evidence, such as the “alleged contract” or “proof of the phone call” with Napier, to support his claims. Until then, it’s difficult to determine whether these accusations are true or if any party involved is intentionally deceiving the public.