Six former basketball players at Florida State University are ending the year with a lawsuit against the team’s coach over alleged failed compensation.
On Monday, Dec. 30, plaintiffs Darin Green Jr., De’Ante Green, Cam’Ron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Warley filed the suit against coach Leonard Hamilton, Yahoo! Sports reported.
The former players, who are pursuing the lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court, allege that Hamilton, 76, failed to fulfill his promise that each would receive $250,000 in name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, according to the lawsuit shared with PEOPLE via the plaintiffs’ attorney, Darren Heitner.
De’Ante Green (top left); Darin Green Jr.; Josh Nickelberry; Primo Spears; Jalen Warley; CamRon Fletcher.
Megan Briggs/Getty(2), Michael Hickey/Getty, Michael Reaves/Getty; Don Juan Moore/Getty; Ryan M. Kelly/Getty
The issue of lack of NIL compensation came to a head at the end of the 2023-2024 basketball season, when the former players began to realize that the payment was likely to never be fulfilled, resulting in a “boycott,” according to the lawsuit.
“The FSU men’s basketball team, including the Plaintiffs, decided that they would boycott practice leading up to one of the most important games of the season, a matchup at home against Duke University in February 2024. They were also determined not to participate in the game against Duke,” the lawsuit said.
Afraid that the plaintiffs would go through with their threat to boycott the game unless they received compensation, the lawsuit claimed that Hamilton once again promised payment — set to be received the following week — but failed to keep his word, resulting in the plaintiffs suing him.
Multiple text messages included in the lawsuit — exchanged between the plaintiffs, Hamilton and Florida State NIL Collective executive Will Cowen — revealed the plaintiffs expressing that they needed the promised payment to use for expenses such as car notes and rent.
Hamilton has been head coach at Florida State since 2002 and signed a five-year contract worth $2.25 million in 2021, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Neither Hamilton nor representatives from Florida State University have publicly responded to the lawsuit as of the time of publication.
