Georgia's $390,000 lawsuit against former player could set major precedent

Georgia is filing a lawsuit against a former player alleging that the player owes the university damages for transferring before the expiration of his NIL contract.

Georgia is seeking $390,000 in damages from former defensive end Damon Wilson, who transferred from the Bulldogs to the Missouri Tigers in January, according to Dan Murphy of ESPN. Georgia alleges that Wilson decided to transfer just two weeks after signing a deal with the school’s NIL collective, breaching the terms of the contract. Those terms stated that Wilson would owe Georgia a payment equal to the money he was to have received over the course of the contract if he either left the team or entered the transfer portal.

“When the University of Georgia Athletic Association enters binding agreements with student-athletes, we honor our commitments and expect student-athletes to do the same,” athletics spokesperson Steven Drummond said in a statement to Murphy.

The case could set a precedent across college football in the NIL era. Schools have, to date, been reluctant to actually try to enforce the negotiated buyout clauses in NIL contracts. That is largely because the contracts state schools are able to use the player’s name, image and likeness, but are not paying them directly to play a sport. It is not the first legal case relating to NIL issues, as Jaden Rashada’s legal battle with Florida made headlines earlier this year.

Wilson played relatively sparingly for Georgia over two seasons. In his first year with Missouri, he led the Tigers with nine sacks.