![Florida Gators offensive coordinator Rob Sale hugs Florida Gators recruit Jaden Rashada after the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 12, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]
Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Carolina Gamecocks](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_3870,h_2176/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/356/01j3ghvx6g05k3gzn2ax.jpg "Florida Gators offensive coordinator Rob Sale hugs Florida Gators recruit Jaden Rashada after the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 12, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]
Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Carolina Gamecocks")
One of the parties involved in the lawsuit involving former Florida Gators quarterback Jaden Rashada has filed a motion to dismiss. Former Florida staff Marcus Castro-Walker was the former director of NIL and player engagement in the lawsuit from Rashada, with the others being head coach Billy Napier and well-known UF booster Hugh Hathcock.
In May, Rashada filed a lawsuit claiming he was lied to by the University of Florida, causing him to flip his commitment from Miami. He ended up signing a $13.85 million contract that was later voided.
What was Marcus Castro-Walker accused of in the Jaden Rashada lawsuit?
Castro-Walker was accused of fraud but in his request for dismissal states that Rashada’s complaint did not include “sufficient allegations of fact, therefore must be dismissed for all of the grounds stated herein.”
The 18-page filing was called a “Harlan Coben novel” by Castro-Walker’s legal team.
How did the Jaden Rashada lawsuit come about?
At the crux of the lawsuit, Jaden Rashada and his father, Harlen Rashada received a call from Napier promising a $1 million dollar partial payment to be released immediately if Rashada signed. The lawsuit also states that if Rashada did not sign right away, the scholarship would be pulled.
If indeed this is factual, this sounds like nothing short of blackmail. The call was recorded, but whether or not it is permissible in court is another question if it goes that far. To be permissible in court, Napier would have had to have consented to it being recorded.
Even then, there is still a lot of grey area as the lawsuit also claims the Hathcock, Castro-Walker and Napier knowingly lacked the intention and ability to fulfill the promised NIL agreement. In order for this be ruled as such, one would think that it would need to be judged as more than just something that Rashada may assume.
All of the details on this lawsuit so far seem far from concrete, and could help to Castro-Walker’s dismissal being accepted.