TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Six former Florida State basketball players sued Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton on Monday, alleging he failed to make good on a promise to get each of them $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation.
The plaintiffs -- Darin Green Jr., De'Ante Green, Cam'Ron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Warley -- filed suit in Leon County circuit court, and their attorney, Fort Lauderdale-based Darren Heitner, shared the 20-page complaint.
The former players allege Hamilton promised them the money from his "business partners." The lawsuit says they walked out of a practice last season over the missed payments and intended to boycott a Feb. 17 game against Duke. They ended up playing -- the Seminoles lost -- amid a guarantee from Hamilton that they would be paid but they never were, according to the suit.
No attorney for Hamilton was listed in the lawsuit. FSU hosts Syracuse on Saturday.
The complaint includes multiple text-message exchanges between players and some between players and Hamilton.
FSU finished 17-16 last season, including 10-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 76-year-old Hamilton is in the final year of his contract. The Seminoles are 9-4, including 0-2 in league play.
None of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit remains with the team. Darin Green and Nickelberry exhausted their college eligibility last spring, and the four others transferred. Spears is now at UTSA, Fletcher is at Xavier, De'Ante Green is at South Florida and Warley is redshirting at Gonzaga.
The plaintiffs -- Darin Green Jr., De'Ante Green, Cam'Ron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Warley -- filed suit in Leon County circuit court, and their attorney, Fort Lauderdale-based Darren Heitner, shared the 20-page complaint.
The former players allege Hamilton promised them the money from his "business partners." The lawsuit says they walked out of a practice last season over the missed payments and intended to boycott a Feb. 17 game against Duke. They ended up playing -- the Seminoles lost -- amid a guarantee from Hamilton that they would be paid but they never were, according to the suit.
No attorney for Hamilton was listed in the lawsuit. FSU hosts Syracuse on Saturday.
The complaint includes multiple text-message exchanges between players and some between players and Hamilton.
FSU finished 17-16 last season, including 10-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 76-year-old Hamilton is in the final year of his contract. The Seminoles are 9-4, including 0-2 in league play.
None of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit remains with the team. Darin Green and Nickelberry exhausted their college eligibility last spring, and the four others transferred. Spears is now at UTSA, Fletcher is at Xavier, De'Ante Green is at South Florida and Warley is redshirting at Gonzaga.