Former Florida staffer files motion to dismiss Jaden Rashada lawsuit against Billy Napier, others

Former Florida football staffer Marcus Castro-Walker has filed a motion to dismiss the Jaden Rashada lawsuit that also involves Gator head coach Billy Napier and a prominent UF booster.

Rashada, a blue-chip quarterback prospect, signed with Florida in December 2022 as part of UF’s 2023 recruiting class. He requested a release from his Letter of Intent when an NIL collective backed away from a $13.85 million agreement.

After his LOI release, Rashada signed with Arizona State and spent the 2023 season with the Sun Devils. He has since transferred to Georgia for the 2024 season.

In May, Rashada filed a suit against Castro-Walker, Napier and Hugh Hathcock.

Rashada’s suit seeks damages in excess of $10 million. Rashada initially verbally committed to Miami, agreeing to a $9.5 million NIL offer. Hathcock, a prominent booster with the Gator Guard collective, is reported to have offered an NIL package worth $13.85 million as Florida sought to flip Rashada.

The suit filed by Rashada alleges that Castro-Walker and Napier did not deliver on promised payments after a “pressure campaign” for the signing of his LOI. Castro-Walker left his post as the NIL director on Napier’s staff in February.

Hal Lewis, a Tallahassee-based attorney, authored the motion filed on behalf of Castro-Walker.

“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,” Lewis writes.

“The Complaint begins with Marcus Castro-Walker, a University of Florida (“UF”) recruiter, professing his desire to have Jaden Rashada (“Jaden”) play for UF. In paragraph after paragraph, the reader sees factual evidence in text messages and phone conversations confirming that Castro-Walker is making his best effort to persuade Jaden to attend UF. There is simply no questioning the sincerity of Castro-Walker’s dogged pursuit. Finally, our reader reaches what appears to be the culmination of the story, celebrating internally alongside the protagonists as Jaden enters into a multimillion-dollar written contract that will allow all of the Complaint’s characters to live happily ever after at UF. Or so it seems.

“The Complaint does a complete reversal and ends with Jaden suing Marcus Castro-Walker on the premise that Castro-Walker had never really wanted Jaden to attend UF and was only pretending to recruit Jaden in order to prevent him from attending the University of Miami and from receiving the accompanying $9.5 million in benefits.

“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. 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.

“As President John Adams said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” The facts in this case — as plead by the Plaintiff himself — simply do not support the cunning conspiracy theories being alleged against Marcus Castro-Walker and others. Accordingly, while the Complaint might make for a juicy bestseller in the fiction genre, it fails in the eye of the law and must therefore be dismissed.”

Lewis shared the complete motion on social media.

For those of you who have asked to read it, here’s our Motion to Dismiss in a thread: (1/18) pic.twitter.com/6gvjxlSeFm

— Hal Lewis (@halleygator) July 23, 2024

Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel reported Tuesday that Napier and Hathcock are expected to follow with motions.

Still awaiting motions from representatives of Billy Napier and Hugh Hathcock. Have yet to appear in electronic court filings. https://t.co/6sDNfViIoV

— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) July 23, 2024

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.