The saga of Jaden Rashada’s infamous failed Name, Image and Likeness deal with Florida took another turn on Tuesday, with news that the former star quarterback recruit is suing Gators coach Billy Napier, a booster and a former football staffer for allegedly backing out on a signed contract.

Rashada, who recently committed to Georgia after spending the 2023 season at Arizona State, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Florida in Pensacola, according to reports by ESPN, CBS Sports and On3. In the suit, Rashada alleges that Napier promised him a $1 million payment upon signing his National Letter of Intent with Florida in December 2022, but boosters never delivered on the agreement.

Rashada is believed to be the first student-athlete to sue a school over promises made regarding an NIL deal, which became legal under NCAA rules in 2021. He has retained Rusty Hardin, a well-known Houston attorney who has represented the likes of Roger Clemens, Deshaun Watson and Adrian Peterson in criminal and/or civil cases over the years.

“Sadly, unethical and illegal tactics like this are more and more commonplace in the Wild West that is today’s college football landscape,” the lawsuit states, via ESPN. “As the first scholar-athlete to take a stand against such egregious behavior by adults who should know better, Jaden seeks to hold Defendants accountable for their actions and to expose the unchecked abuse of power that they shamelessly wielded.”

Also named in the suit are Hugh Hathcock, a Florida booster and wealthy automotive industry businessman based in Valdosta, Ga.; his former company, Velocity Automotive; and Marcus Castro-Walker, the Gators’ former director of player engagement and NIL. Castro-Walker was let go by Florida in February after the NCAA began investigating the school regarding the Rashada affair.

Hathcock has since sold his company but remains closely tied to Florida athletics, having in 2022 donated a record $12.6 million to Gators Boosters, the school’s official athletic fundraising arm. In exchange, Florida agreed to name after him the Hugh Hathcock Suite Tower at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the Hugh Hathcock Basketball Complex.

Rashada was a four-star recruit in the 2023 signing class out of Pittsburg, Calif., and originally committed to Miami before flipping to Florida in November 2022. His alleged NIL deal with the Gators made national headlines, both for the astoundingly high dollar-figure, but also because there was apparently a lack of alignment between the football program and two different, independent collectives as to whether or not they could raise that much money to pay Rashada.

Rashada signed with the Gators on Dec. 21, 2022, but never showed up in Gainesville and asked to be released from his Letter of Intent. He was reportedly unhappy after the Gator Collective terminated his NIL deal.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday states that Rashada and his attorney believe he was “exploited” with false promises during the recruiting process. It comes at a key time for college athletics, with a high-profile lawsuit regarding player compensation set to be settled by the NCAA as soon as this week.

“Defendants’ goals were two-fold: (1) to ensure Jaden remained committed to UF; and (2) to avoid paying the promised NIL funds,” the lawsuit states, via On3. “Defendants knew that for most college athletes the prospect of NIL earnings is life changing. Defendants exploited this fact for their own personal advantage.”

Neither Napier nor the Florida athletic department have responded publicly to the suit as of mid-morning Tuesday.