On Monday, reports emerged that Florida State men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton finds himself as the subject of a lawsuit regarding unpaid promises of NIL compensation.
According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Hamilton is being sued by six former Florida State players over unpaid promises of NIL compensation that total $1.5 million.
The six plaintiffs in the looming case include the likes of Darin Green Jr., Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears, Cam’Ron Fletcher, De’Ante Green, and Jalen Warley, who are all alleging that Hamilton promised each of them $250,000 in NIL payments from the coach’s “business partners”.
In the documents obtained by Dellenger, the players detailed how they actually boycotted a practice ahead of a game last February against Duke. After reportedly being promised by Hamilton that they would be paid the next week, the boycotting players suited up for the game.
We have seen other instances since the rise of NIL compensation for student-athletes where there are disputes between players and programs regarding missing NIL compensation.
Perhaps most notably, UNLV quarterback Mattew Sluka opted to redshirt after leading the team to a 3-0 record to begin the 2024 season, detailing how the program had made certain NIL “representations” to him that we not upheld. It would later be revealed in a statement from the program that he was not paid due to Sluka’s agent making financial demands which it interpreted as a violation of the NCAA rule prohibiting pay-for-play. Sluka has since entered the transfer portal.
This case involving Florida State seemingly marks the first big scandal that involves numerous players on one team allegedly not being paid NIL compensation.
Thus far, there has not been any kind of statement from Hamilton directly or the Florida State program. Currently, FSU finds itself with a 9-4 record on the year in Hamilton’s 23rd season at the program.
