For those who have made it a point of emphasis to forget the name Jaden Rashada (which I will acknowledge was done for good reason), and need a refresher, the story goes like this: Florida poached a four-star quarterback from Miami, people began realizing that he wasn’t anywhere near good enough to justify the NIL deal that they had agreed to, and then the NIL company exercised the option in the contract that both parties had signed to pull the plug on the deal.
Naturally, Jaden Rashada and his family didn’t like the fact that he’d just lost $13.85 million. So they chose to attack Florida with a lawsuit– not directly, but through several people very much associated with Florida. That list includes the head coach, the big booster who was set to put up the money for the deal, and the now-former director of player engagement and NIL.
Today this process saw another chapter get written, as the legal entourage of Florida head coach Billy Napier, former Florida Director of Player Engagement and NIL Marcus Castro-Walker and mega-booster Hugh Hathcock, has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by that ex-Florida QB signee, Jaden Rashada.
And these lawyers clearly have both a general sense of humor and an unbridled disdain for the fact that this situation has even gotten this far. Because they spent most of the 18-page document ridiculing the Rashadas’ claim in truly comedic fashion.
In All Kinds Of Weather has obtained the complete document. It is attached below. And it is HILARIOUS.
Fonvielle Lewis Messer & McConnaughhay: Complete Motion to Dismiss Document.pdf
Give that a read. Then come back here. There is so much unpacking to do.
Among the highlights:
“Plaintiff’s Complaint reads like a Harlan Coben novel, replete with facts that lead the reader down an obvious path, only to have the reader caught completely off guard by an unexpected plot twist at the very end.”
“Not only does this attempted plot twist defy credulity, given that it was literally Castro-Walker’s job to recruit Jaden to UF, it also requires the Court to read Jaden’s Complaint through Alice’s looking-glass, attributing meanings to statements and actions that are the exact opposite of what they appear to be on their face. Even a thorough re-reading of the Complaint after knowing how the story ends would fail to uncover even a single bread crumb of evidence that even remotely supported the ending. Harlan Coben would be proud.”
And my personal favorite: “But alas, a Complaint is not a work of fiction that can be crafted and manufactured to reach a desired ending incongruent with the facts themselves.”
Of course, a motion to dismiss is not exactly game over in any legal battle. Far from it. So this, by itself, is no cause for celebration for Napier, or Florida, or Florida fans.
But what this does prove is that the team of lawyers that have stepped up for the Florida head coach, ex-Director of Player Engagement and NIL, and one of its largest boosters doesn’t really seem to be in the mood to let Jaden Rashada & Co. claim even the smallest of moral victories here. Motions to dismiss, while serving a pretty self-explanatory purpose, aren’t always equipped with the condescending and contemptuous mortar that this one came with. And knowing one of these lawyers fairly well, this wasn’t a mistake, or a fluke. There’s more where this came from.
So as I’ve said before: the Rashada camp wanted to wage legal warfare? Well, here it is. And something tells me that the more work these lawyers have to do defending their clients, the less polite they’re going to become. Which is going to result in less-than-desirable outcomes for the Rashadas. Have fun with that.
I mean that last sentence sincerely, by the way. I do hope the Rashadas have fun with this legal process. Because given what former NFL scouts have told me about what a headache this kid has turned into, it’s likely to be the most fun his football career will ever produce.
