Kirby Smart weighs in on Jaden Rashada NIL lawsuit vs. Billy Napier: 'That’s outside of my bubble'

Kirby Smart addressed the Jaden Rashada lawsuit against Florida and head coach Billy Napier at the SEC Spring Meetings on Tuesday. The new Georgia quarterback filed the suit May 21 and claimed he was repeatedly lied to regarding NIL during his recruitment.

“A sign of the times, possibly,” Smart said, via On3’s Jesse Simonton. “I don’t really get caught up in that. I worry about what’s in my little bubble at Georgia, and that’s outside the bubble.”

Napier was named a defendant in the lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida that claims Rashada was repeatedly lied to for him to flip his commitment from Miami to Florida. Among the allegations, the suit states Napier promised Rashada $1 million if the quarterback signed his National Letter of Intent on early National Signing Day in 2022.

Former Florida director of NIL and player engagement Marcus Castro-Walker and booster Hugh Hathcock were also named as defendants in the suit. Hathcock’s former company, Velocity Automotive, was named, too.

Smart said Rashada informed him of the lawsuit the day before it was filed. The coach also made it clear neither he nor Georgia were part of it.

“He told me the day before they decided to do the lawsuit,” Smart said. “I told him that’d be between his family and his attorneys. I’m not involved in it, Georgia’s not involved in it in any way.

“But Jaden is a good football player. We knew Jaden when he was coming out. He’s got a good body of work. … Happy he’s joining us and looking forward to working with him.”

Billy Napier: ‘I’m comfortable with my actions’

Before Kirby Smart spoke with reporters in Destin, Billy Napier held a session and spoke about the situation. While he said he couldn’t specifically comment on the legal process, he said he was “comfortable” with his actions.

“I’m comfortable with my actions,” Napier said. “‘I’m thankful for the university’s support and we’re going to keep it at that and let the process take its course.”

Rashada’s first payment of his four-year, $13.85 million deal was scheduled for Dec. 5, 2022, in the amount of $500,000 – a signing bonus, sources previously told On3’s Pete Nakos. That payment never materialized, despite multiple reassurances, according to the case. On Dec. 6, the day after the bonus was due, the Gator Collective terminated the contract in a letter sent to Rashada, sources told On3. 

On early National Signing Day on Dec. 21, 2022, the quarterback had still not received a payment, according to the case. Rashada delayed the signature of his National Letter of Intent. 

“These actions culminated with Coach Napier himself vouching that UF alumni were good on their promise that Jaden would receive $1 million if he signed with UF on National Signing Day,” the complaint states. “Defendant Castro-Walker leveraged the coach’s promise that Napier would ‘get it done,’ and threatened – on National Signing Day – that, if Jaden did not sign a national letter of intent with UF, Coach Napier might walk away from Jaden entirely.”

Pete Nakos contributed.