TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Six former Florida State University basketball players announced Monday that Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton is fulfilling a promise that each player will receive $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation. A lawsuit was filed because there was no such thing.
Plaintiffs Darin Green Jr., DeAnte Green, Camron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Worley filed the lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court. Their attorney, Fort Lauderdale-based Darren Hytner, shared the 20-page complaint with The Associated Press. Yahoo Sports first reported the incident.
Former players claim Hamilton promised them money from “business partners”. They pulled out of last season’s practice over unpaid bills and planned to boycott the Feb. 17 game against Duke, according to the suit. Despite assurances from Hamilton that he would be paid, the Seminoles ended up playing but were never paid, according to the complaint.
Hamilton’s attorney is not named in the lawsuit. FSU hosts Syracuse on Saturday.
The complaint also includes multiple text message exchanges between the players and between the players and Hamilton.
FSU finished 17-16 last season, including 10-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Hamilton, 76, is in the final year of his contract. The Seminoles have 9 wins and 4 losses, including 0 wins and 2 losses in league play.
No plaintiff in the lawsuit remains on the team. Green and Nickelberry exhausted their college eligibility last spring, and the remaining four transferred schools. Spears is currently at UTSA, Fletcher is at Xavier, DeAnte Green is at USF and Worley is at Gonzaga.
The lawsuit is the latest in a growing number of NIL legal battles.
Matthew Sulka, who was the starting quarterback for the UNLV football team, left the program after three games in September because his $100,000 NIL contract was not paid. Former Florida quarterback Jaden Rashada, who currently plays at Georgia State, sued Gators coach Billy Napier last year over $13 million in unpaid NIL contracts. Several Tulsa players also claim they are owed thousands of dollars in NIL contracts made by former coach Kevin Wilson.
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