Six former Florida State basketball players filed a lawsuit against head coach Leonard Hamilton on Monday, alleging they did not receive the $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation that Hamilton promised to them.
The 20-page complaint, filed in Florida’s Leon County circuit court on behalf of Darin Green Jr., Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears, Cam’Ron Fletcher, De’Ante Green and Jalen Warley, accuses Hamilton of reneging on a pledge to pay them a total of $1.5 million in NIL money from his “business partners.”
Spears, Fletcher, Green and Warley all transferred after last season while Green and Nickelberry exhausted their college eligibility.
The filing claims Hamilton promised compensation to every member of the 2023-24 team, a vow that lured several players to transfer to Florida State. The complaint includes a string of text messages, including one that detailed the players’ boycott of a practice and their plan to boycott a Feb. 17 game against Duke. According to the filing, Hamilton compelled the players to take the court with a promise of the money being in their accounts the next week.
The university responded Monday, expressing support for Hamilton’s right to defend himself and stating they opened an inquiry after learning of the allegations.
“Though our inquiry is not yet complete, 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.
Florida State also referenced changes the school has made since the name, image and likeness era in collegiate athletics began, stating, “FSU has maintained a comprehensive compliance education program for coaches and other athletics staff, and a clear expectation of ethical conduct by all in dealing with student-athletes.”
The Seminoles finished the 2023-24 season 17-16 and 10-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They are off to a 9-4 (0-2 ACC) start this season and next play Saturday at Syracuse.
Hamilton, 76, is in the final year of his contract at Florida State, where he took the reins before the 2002-03 season.
–Field Level Media
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