Six Former FSU Basketball Players File Lawsuit Against Leonard Hamilton Over Lack Of NIL Payments

The complaint states that $1.5M in promised NIL money has been left unpaid.

Feb 13, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images / Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

The new "wild west" era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has taken college athletics for a whirlwind with twists, bumps, and roadblocks around every turn as programs try to compete both on and off the field.

On Monday, Florida State's basketball program took their fight off the court to the literal courtroom when six former players filed a lawsuit against head coach Leonard Hamilton for an alleged unpaid $1.5M in NIL money that he and his "business partners" promised throughout the 2023-2024 season.

Darin Green Jr., Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears, Cam’Ron Fletcher, De’Ante Green, and Jalen Warley have reportedly filed an official complaint per Ross Dellenger in an unprecedented lawsuit that claims promises to players totaling $250k in compensation on behalf of both Hamilton and Rising Spear president Will Cowen.

In a landmark filing, six former FSU basketball players are suing Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton over $1.5 million in unpaid NIL cash they say he promised them.

The complaint details a team-wide boycott of a practice last season over the payments.https://t.co/1CFVshawH5

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 30, 2024

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The report went on to state that in an uprising the players went as far as to boycott a practice by "walking out of the gym" ahead of their 76-67 loss to Duke in February. None of the players involved in the lawsuit are on this year's 9-4 (0-2 ACC) team, and the majority of the plaintiffs either transferred or ran out of eligibility.

Whatever your stance is on player compensation, another lawsuit over alleged false promises to college athletes shines a light on an already rocky NCAA regulation that has yet to be formalized on a national scale.

There have been numerous instances where athletes have claimed that promises made during recruitment—often in informal or verbal settings—were not fulfilled. For example, former Florida quarterback commit Jaden Rashada filed a lawsuit against Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier last year over an unpaid $13 million NIL deal that was allegedly promised during his recruitment. This situation highlights a broader issue within college athletics and the chaotic and often unregulated nature of NIL agreements and the challenges they create.

With the NCAA Transfer Portal and players no longer being paid under the table, it wouldn't be shocking to see more lawsuits and laundry aired out in this new age of college sports.

A full .pdf of the lawsuit can be downloaded here.

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