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20h ago•2 min read
Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton is the subject of a lawsuit filed by six former players alleging he promised but failed to follow through on $250,000 NIL packages for the players last season. The lawsuit, obtained by CBS Sports, was filed Monday in Florida and claims they never received the payments despite several instances during the season in which they were assured by their coach that payments would be made.
Yahoo Sports first reported the news.
The players who filed the suit are Darin Green Jr., Primo Spears, Jalen Warley, Cam Fletcher, De'Ante Green and Josh Nickelberry, representing the second-, third-, sixth-, seventh-, ninth- and 12th-leading scorers on last season's team, respectively. Of those six players, two transferred into FSU last season under the belief that NIL packages would be part of their agreement to sign with the school.
In the documents filed in Monday's legal proceedings, the six players realized near the end of the season that Hamilton was unlikely to fulfill his promises on the NIL payments and boycotted a practice before a home game vs. Duke on Feb. 17. They were also determined to boycott the Duke game, which FSU lost 76-67, but were convinced to play after Hamilton in a team meeting learned of their plans and reiterated that each player would be paid $250,000 and that the transaction would take place the following week.
The plaintiffs in the case allege Breach of Contract for unmet financial promises made; promisory estoppel, alleging they relied on repeated promises by Hamilton to their detriment and seeking renumeration; fraudulent misrepresentation and fraudulent inducement; and negligent misrepresentations. They are requesting the court to rule Hamilton's actions caused them significant damages and to be awarded $250,000 each in compensatory damages based on the originally promised amounts. The suit also requests plaintiffs be awarded punitive and exemplary damages to assist in deterring and preventing similar conduct in the future.
FSU responded to the lawsuit by releasing a statement Monday afternoon.
"At this point we know of no unfulfilled commitments by FSU in terms of scholarships or other appropriate benefits or the Rising Spear Collective relative to NIL payments owed to the athletes," the statement said. "We support Coach Hamilton's right to defend himself against these allegations and look forward to an expeditious resolution of this matter."
Florida State was picked in the preseason media poll to finish 11th in the 15-team ACC last season and stumbled out of the gate early to a 6-6 record that included losses to rival Florida, Georgia, South Florida and Lipscomb. The Seminoles finished 10-10 in regular season ACC play and 17-16 on the season.
While none of the six players who filed the lawsuit are on the 2024-25 roster, with four transferring and two having exhausted their eligibility, six players on this year's team were also on last year's team. That includes leading scorer Jamir Watkins, assist leader Chandler Jackson and blocks leader Taylor Bol Bowen.
FSU is off to a 9-4 start this season behind Hamilton, 76, which includes a 14-point home loss to Louisville just before Christmas. The lawsuit comes less than a week after another coach in the state, 75-year-old Miami coach Jim Larranaga, abruptly stepped down from his role citing frustration over the NIL landscape.
Ex-Florida State basketball players sue coach Leonard Hamilton over unfulfilled NIL promises
By Kyle Boone20h ago•2 min read
Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton is the subject of a lawsuit filed by six former players alleging he promised but failed to follow through on $250,000 NIL packages for the players last season. The lawsuit, obtained by CBS Sports, was filed Monday in Florida and claims they never received the payments despite several instances during the season in which they were assured by their coach that payments would be made.
Yahoo Sports first reported the news.
The players who filed the suit are Darin Green Jr., Primo Spears, Jalen Warley, Cam Fletcher, De'Ante Green and Josh Nickelberry, representing the second-, third-, sixth-, seventh-, ninth- and 12th-leading scorers on last season's team, respectively. Of those six players, two transferred into FSU last season under the belief that NIL packages would be part of their agreement to sign with the school.
In the documents filed in Monday's legal proceedings, the six players realized near the end of the season that Hamilton was unlikely to fulfill his promises on the NIL payments and boycotted a practice before a home game vs. Duke on Feb. 17. They were also determined to boycott the Duke game, which FSU lost 76-67, but were convinced to play after Hamilton in a team meeting learned of their plans and reiterated that each player would be paid $250,000 and that the transaction would take place the following week.
The plaintiffs in the case allege Breach of Contract for unmet financial promises made; promisory estoppel, alleging they relied on repeated promises by Hamilton to their detriment and seeking renumeration; fraudulent misrepresentation and fraudulent inducement; and negligent misrepresentations. They are requesting the court to rule Hamilton's actions caused them significant damages and to be awarded $250,000 each in compensatory damages based on the originally promised amounts. The suit also requests plaintiffs be awarded punitive and exemplary damages to assist in deterring and preventing similar conduct in the future.
FSU responded to the lawsuit by releasing a statement Monday afternoon.
"At this point we know of no unfulfilled commitments by FSU in terms of scholarships or other appropriate benefits or the Rising Spear Collective relative to NIL payments owed to the athletes," the statement said. "We support Coach Hamilton's right to defend himself against these allegations and look forward to an expeditious resolution of this matter."
Florida State was picked in the preseason media poll to finish 11th in the 15-team ACC last season and stumbled out of the gate early to a 6-6 record that included losses to rival Florida, Georgia, South Florida and Lipscomb. The Seminoles finished 10-10 in regular season ACC play and 17-16 on the season.
While none of the six players who filed the lawsuit are on the 2024-25 roster, with four transferring and two having exhausted their eligibility, six players on this year's team were also on last year's team. That includes leading scorer Jamir Watkins, assist leader Chandler Jackson and blocks leader Taylor Bol Bowen.
FSU is off to a 9-4 start this season behind Hamilton, 76, which includes a 14-point home loss to Louisville just before Christmas. The lawsuit comes less than a week after another coach in the state, 75-year-old Miami coach Jim Larranaga, abruptly stepped down from his role citing frustration over the NIL landscape.
