Georgia has taken the rare step of suing a former player, seeking $390,000 in damages from ex-Bulldogs edge rusher Damon Wilson after his January transfer to Missouri, according to legal filings obtained by ESPN.
The university is asking a judge to compel Wilson into arbitration, arguing he violated terms of a 14-month NIL contract he signed with the Classic City Collective in December 2024.
Wilson, who is now Missouri’s top pass rusher, received a $30,000 initial payment before entering the transfer portal less than two weeks later, the filing states.
Under the contract’s liquidated-damages clause, he owed the remainder of the deal nearly $400,000 in a lump sum if he withdrew from the team. Georgia’s athletic department acquired the rights to those damages on July 1, when schools began assuming NIL payment responsibilities from collectives.
“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,” spokesman Steven Drummond said in a statement to ESPN.
Legal experts say Georgia must prove the damages reflect reasonable financial harm rather than a punitive penalty, a standard that has complicated similar cases. Arkansas’ collective previously filed complaints against quarterback Madden Iamaleava and wide receiver Dazmin James, though those disputes remain unresolved.
Wilson’s case could help determine whether liquidated damages clauses become enforceable guardrails in NIL contracts or face legal pushback as improper attempts to restrict athlete mobility.
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