In the new world of college football, we often ask: What can revenue sharing and NIL do? Besides several benefits, there’s always scope for messy disputes. Missouri’s defensive end Damon Wilson II has just filed a countersuit and sued Georgia Athletics over an NIL contract conflict. The lawsuit is the first time a player and a program have approached the court for an NIL dispute.

The matter arose when Georgia Athletics filed an application in October to force Damon into arbitration. The program alleged that the now-Missouri defensive end owed them $390,000, which was the unpaid amount of his NIL deal.

The program argues that the player signed a $30,000 per month agreement with Georgia’s Classic City Collective, starting from December 2024 to January 2026. But on January 14, 2025, Damon decided to transfer to Missouri, and that has led to the current legal dispute.

Why Did Damon Wilson II Sue Georgia Football?

After Georgia filed its lawsuit in Clarke County, Georgia, the headlines were all over. The program alleged that the player transferred just a month after signing his NIL deal and didn’t honor the terms of the contract. Even though the collective ended the deal, it was contingent on the player staying in Georgia. Still, the lawsuit came, and a whole new Pandora’s box opened.

Meanwhile, Damon Wilson, in his countersuit, alleges grave errors on behalf of the program.

“Georgia appears intent on making an example of someone; they just picked the wrong person,” said Damon’s attorney, Jeff Jensen. “Damon never had a contract with them. I don’t see how Georgia thinks intimidation and litigation will help their recruitment efforts — maybe players could bring lawyers with them to practice.”

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Wilson, in his 42-page countersuit, alleges that Georgia “falsely told” many Power 4 programs that he owed $1.2 million if he decided to leave. It directly prevented the player from pursuing lucrative schools and harmed his ability to seal good NIL deals with programs.

The document also mentions that UGA didn’t immediately put the DE’s name in the portal; instead, it launched an aggressive campaign to keep him in Athens. Wilson collectively describes the acts as “civil conspiracy” in his lawsuit.

Does Missouri DE Really Owe $1.2M to His Former Program?

Apart from the above allegations. Wilson has also alleged that Georgia harmed his “reputation” by creating a false narrative of the player being dishonest with his contractual obligations. Many parts of the complaint address that Wilson and several other UGA players were outrightly told by a “Bulldog employee” to go upstairs at the football building and “sign the agreement.”  In reality, the agreement stipulated to “create a legally binding document,” something which never came to be.

If the claim is true, the player would owe nothing of the $1.2 million or the $390,000 as alleged by Wilson and in the filings by the program. Damon, though, is “seeking a fair and reasonable amount of damages” for the “financial and reputational harm he has suffered,” as his attorney told. That would also include all the legal expenses, along with other miscellaneous expenses incurred.

“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,” said the program about the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is one of a kind and could set a new precedent if an agreement isn’t reached between the two parties. We have, however, seen a similar lawsuit after Florida’s Jaden Rashada sued Billy Napier and two other individuals seeking $13.85 million. But in that suit, Florida wasn’t a party. In Wilson’s Georgia is a party, and that alone makes the lawsuit interesting to follow.