It’s not very often that you have to answer for one of your players suing one of your rivals and fellow coaches.
Yet that is where Kirby Smart found himself on Tuesday afternoon when speaking to reporters at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla.
On May 21, Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada filed a lawsuit in the Pensacola Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida against Florida head coach Billy Napier, Florida booster Hugh Hathcock and former Florida director of NIL Marcus Castro-Walker over a failed name, image and likeness deal.
Tuesday was Smart’s first public appearance since the lawsuit became public knowledge.
“I don’t really get caught up in that,” Smart said. “That’s outside of my bubble, and I worry about what’s in my bubble.”
Smart told reporters that Rashada informed him of the lawsuit on May 20, a day before it had been filed. Neither Smart nor Georgia are mentioned in the lawsuit.
“Jaden is a good football player. We knew Jaden when he was coming out,” Smart said. “He’s got a good body of work. His ability to play is really critical at the quarterback position. He’s actually played and he’s very talented. We’re happy he’s joining us and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Napier also spoke to reporters on Tuesday, expressing comfort with his previous actions.
“I can’t comment on specifics due to the litigation,” Napier said. “But we’re very confident in our legal team, very comfortable with my actions and very appreciative of the university’s support”
Rashada announced he would be transferring to Georgia in April. Out of high school, Rashada committed to and signed with Napier and the Florida program. But as the lawsuit details, a number of promises made to Rashada had not been allegedly kept.
In total, Rashada alleges that he and Florida had agreed to an NIL deal worth $13.85 million. The lawsuit states Rashada had been promised payments of $500,000 and $1 million, yet Rashada never received either from the various parties involved in Florida.
After signing with Florida, Rashada shortly transferred to Arizona State. He started three games for the Sun Devils last season, before entering the transfer portal in April.
Rashada is expected to compete for the backup quarterback job at Georgia this season, with Carson Beck seen as the starting quarterback for Georgia.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also spoke on the lawsuit when talking to reporters on Monday night.
“I’m not a fan of lawsuits,” Sankey said. “That’s what I think.”
Georgia and Florida are set to play on the field this season, with the two sides meeting on Nov. 2. Napier is 0-2 against Smart since he was hired as the head coach at Florida.
