According to a report by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports, six former Florida State men’s basketball players are suing Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton over $1.5 million in unpaid NIL money.
The plaintiffs, including former Kentucky player Cam’Ron Fletcher, allege Hamilton promised each of them $250K in NIL payments from his “business partners.”
According to the report, the players boycotted a practice prior to the Duke game last season. They intended to boycott the game as well but Hamilton intervened and again promised the the money would be coming soon.
Here is an excerpt:
The six plaintiffs — Darin Green Jr., Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears, Cam’Ron Fletcher, De’Ante Green and Jalen Warley — allege that Hamilton promised each of them $250,000 in NIL payments from the coach’s “business partners.”
The players never received the payments despite Hamilton promising the money to each member of the 2023-24 team in two separate team meetings as well as in individual conversations with some players and their families. Several players transferred to Florida State under the assurance that they would receive the money.
As evidence of the NIL promises, the complaint includes multiple text-message exchanges among players, between players and Hamilton, and between players and Will Cowen, an executive with one of Florida State’s NIL collectives.
In one of the more striking revelations, FSU players say they boycotted a practice before a Feb. 17 game against Duke. They “walked out of the gym” during practice to show their frustration over the unpaid NIL promises and they intended to boycott the game as well, the claim says. Hamilton discovered the plan and, in a meeting in the team’s film room, re-emphasized that the money would be in the players’ accounts the very next week. Players competed in the game, losing to the Blue Devils, 76-67.
