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Georgia seeks $390K from DE Damon Wilson for transfer damages

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dabo man
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5:51p, 12/5/25
AG
Georgia seeks $390K from DE Damon Wilson for transfer damages
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/47212583/georgia-seeks-390k-de-damon-wilson-transfer-damages
Quote:
Georgia's athletic department is headed to court to try to obtain $390,000 in damages from a former standout defensive end who transferred from the school after his sophomore season in a potentially precedent-setting case.

The Bulldogs have asked a judge to force former defensive end Damon Wilson, currently the top pass rusher on Missouri's defensive line, to enter into arbitration to settle a clause in his former contract that serves effectively as a buyout fee for exiting his deal early. Wilson played for Georgia as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Missouri in January, two weeks after signing a new deal with Georgia's Classic City Collective.

Many schools and collectives have started to include liquidated damages clauses in their contracts with athletes to protect their investment in players and deter transfers. Georgia is one of the first programs to publicly try to enforce the clause by filing suit against a player.

...
Quote:
The Bulldogs paid Wilson a total of $30,000 from the disputed contract. Because of the way the deal was crafted, Georgia says Wilson owed it $390,000 in a lump sum within 30 days of his decision to leave the team. Drummond declined to comment when asked why the damages being sought are much higher than the amount Wilson was paid.

Wilson signed a term sheet with Classic City Collective in December 2024, shortly before Georgia lost in a quarterfinal playoff game to Notre Dame, ending his sophomore season. The 14-month contract -- which was attached to Georgia's legal filing -- was worth $500,000 to be distributed in monthly payments of $30,000 with two additional $40,000 bonus payments that would be paid shortly after the NCAA transfer portal windows closed.

The deal states that if Wilson withdrew from the Georgia team or entered the transfer portal, he would owe the collective a lump-sum payment equal to the rest of the money he'd have received had he stayed for the length of the contract. (The two bonus payments apparently were not included in the damages calculation.) Classic City signed over the rights to those damages to Georgia's athletic department July 1 when many schools took over player payments from their collectives.

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Heisenberg01
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5:57p, 12/5/25
AG
Good. A contract is a contract. Don't take the money if you aren't going to follow through.
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dabo man
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In reply to Heisenberg01 • 6:00p, 12/5/25
AG
That was my initial thought. Then I finished the article (and updated my original post). Doesn't sound (to me) like $390k is a reasonable amount of money as it's more than he received from the university.
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Gator92
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6:06p, 12/5/25
AG
I wanna say good for GA, but they risk recruiting pursuing it...
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4
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In reply to Gator92 • 6:31p, 12/5/25
AG
Gator92 said:
I wanna say good for GA, but they risk recruiting pursuing it...

No they won't. These kids don't think like that.
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Nelson Wilbury
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In reply to dabo man • 6:33p, 12/5/25
AG
dabo man said:
That was my initial thought. Then I finished the article (and updated my original post). Doesn't sound (to me) like $390k is a reasonable amount of money as it's more than he received from the university.


Pain, suffering, and mental anguish.

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Aggietaco
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In reply to dabo man • 7:36p, 12/5/25
AG
It's more than he received from that one contract. The article does not say how much he was paid for his freshman and sophomore seasons before he left after his sophomore season ended.
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PatAg
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In reply to Aggietaco • 8:01p, 12/5/25
AG
Aggietaco said:
It's more than he received from that one contract. The article does not say how much he was paid for his freshman and sophomore seasons before he left after his sophomore season ended.

The deal states that if Wilson withdrew from the Georgia team or entered the transfer portal, he would owe the collective a lump-sum payment equal to the rest of the money he'd have received had he stayed for the length of the contract. (
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Gator92
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In reply to 4 • 8:19p, 12/5/25
AG
4 said:
Gator92 said:
I wanna say good for GA, but they risk recruiting pursuing it...

No they won't. These kids don't think like that.

Kids might not think about it, but their agents do...
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Lathspell
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8:23p, 12/5/25
AG
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nai06
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11:27p, 12/5/25
AG
What's the end game for Georgia here? Let's say they win, how are they going to get 390K from this player? Are they hoping he gets drafted and can pay?
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AgDotCom
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11:39p, 12/5/25
What could go wrong when Uncle Rufus or another cat who can't read but sure sports some nice jewelry "represents" you straight outta Duncanville High?

He probably prepaid his taxes based on advice from the same parents or handlers who required him to pass a personal finance class before he could buy his first cell phone.
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Sparkie
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12:00a, 12/6/25
AG
Once money is involved, you're a pro. Welcome to the big leagues.
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3rd Coast
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In reply to nai06 • 12:10a, 12/6/25
AG
I am not sure the money is what matters here. Maybe they are trying to set a precedent to keep kids who they have invested significant resources in from jumping ship. Let's be honest, in the grand scheme of big time CFB is $390,000 that much? It will be interesting to see the end result.
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Ag1188
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12:59a, 12/6/25
AG
Says he was paid $30k, but they want $390k from him? I don't get it, or I'm obviously misreading it.
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TexasAggie81
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In reply to nai06 • 5:02a, 12/6/25
nai06 said:
What's the end game for Georgia here? Let's say they win, how are they going to get 390K from this player? Are they hoping he gets drafted and can pay?

How about other schools collectively joining this fight. After all, the players are professionals, right? And they are legally able to bind themselves in contract. Look for some legal malpractice claims to arise out of this if this trend spreads like wildfire.
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texag101
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In reply to Ag1188 • 7:16a, 12/6/25
Ag1188 said:
Says he was paid $30k, but they want $390k from him? I don't get it, or I'm obviously misreading it.
No, you're apparently just not reading it at all. The contract says he'll pay what he would have earned if he leaves early. It's irrelevant what he had been paid at the time he left. That's what he agreed to, so now he should pay. It's not complicated.

As for another poster's comment about this scaring away potential recruits….why would that happen? Everyone should understand that if you contact to do something you have to live up to the contract. That's all that's happening here. He's free to leave, but if he leaves he has to pay what he agreed to pay if he leaves.
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12thMan9
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In reply to texag101 • 7:54a, 12/6/25
AG
He got bad advice, that agent won't last.
Ronnie '88
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TimParker
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7:55a, 12/6/25
I guess that payment would need to come from his earnings from the University that poached him. The assumption would be that he made significantly more than the value of his contract at Georgia. Georgia could have recruited and developed someone else in the spot of the cancelled contract.

Basically, he would pay back what he owed and the associated "damages" (for lack of a better word) for not fulfilling his contractual obligation. Hopefully he made a step change more at Mizzou to cover all of it and have plenty left over…
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BMX Bandit
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In reply to texag101 • 7:58a, 12/6/25
Quote:
No, you're apparently just not reading it at all. The contract says he'll pay what he would have earned if he leaves early. It's irrelevant what he had been paid at the time he left. That's what he agreed to, so now he should pay. It's not complicated.


What they are seeking is not complicated, but whether or not they will be entitled to that is a different issue.

You can't just pull some number out of your rear and declare it "liquidated damages"
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OrygunAg
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8:04a, 12/6/25
AG
This was inevitable. Schools will structure their contracts to mitigate transfers and this yearly mass migration should calm.
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BuddysBud
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8:07a, 12/6/25
AG
If he loses the case Missouri will likely pay the buyout.
Coaches don't pay buyouts to leave for a "better" school. The school that wants him pays.

It will likely be the same for players. If Missouri needs a DE, they will pay the kid to transfer and pay any buyout that he owes the school that he is leaving.
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BuddysBud
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In reply to BMX Bandit • 8:09a, 12/6/25
AG
BMX Bandit said:
Quote:
No, you're apparently just not reading it at all. The contract says he'll pay what he would have earned if he leaves early. It's irrelevant what he had been paid at the time he left. That's what he agreed to, so now he should pay. It's not complicated.


What they are seeking is not complicated, but whether or not they will be entitled to that is a different issue.

You can't just pull some number out of your rear and declare it "liquidated damages"


Why not? The kid doesn't have to sign a stupid contract, and if he is that good, a lot of other schools would be willing to sign him.
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BMX Bandit
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In reply to BuddysBud • 8:11a, 12/6/25
Quote:
Why not?


Because that's the law.

Look what the damages are not meant to punish.


I'm not saying that Georgia can't prove that amount is proper, just that it's not as clear as somewhat coin
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IslanderAg04
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In reply to nai06 • 8:14a, 12/6/25
nai06 said:
What's the end game for Georgia here? Let's say they win, how are they going to get 390K from this player? Are they hoping he gets drafted and can pay?


I dont think it's about the money.
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Tree Hugger
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8:22a, 12/6/25
AG
I heard an interview with Troy Aikman and he said that a group from UCLA approached him a year or two ago to donate to an NIL fund for the purposes of funding a player who ended up transferring to a different school, he said he wouldn't be doing that again unless something changed in the rules to protect his investment.
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Whaler
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8:48a, 12/6/25
AG
If the $390k is in the contract, Georgia isn't just pulling it out of their rear. Plus, I'm sure the player was paid quite a lot his first years at Georgia. Finally, in addition to paying the player for 2 years, Georgia has had other development costs to get the player to the level he could command more money from Missouri: room, board, equipment, instruction, medical, etc., etc. Obviously, the clause in the contract was there to protect Georgia's investment in the player. Good for Georgia. Something needs to deter these professional players from freely jumping team to team, leaving the university that had invested in them high and dry.
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TX AG 88
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9:13a, 12/6/25
AG
I guess the "NIL can't be a pay-for-play" pretense has been completely dropped.

Good! I doubt they prevail for that amount, but it's good to see someone attempt to tamp down the chaos!
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texag101
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In reply to 12thMan9 • 9:46a, 12/6/25
12thMan9 said:
He got bad advice, that agent won't last.
How do you know? Maybe Missouri paid him the $390k everyone knew he'd have to pay if he left GA. That's normally how these things work.
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aggiehawg
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In reply to BMX Bandit • 9:47a, 12/6/25
AG
Quote:
What they are seeking is not complicated, but whether or not they will be entitled to that is a different issue.

You can't just pull some number out of your rear and declare it "liquidated damages"

But you and I know that lawyers frequently do so. At arbitration, different issue than at a trial. And I am still unclear on how collectives can actively interfere with existing contracts with other school's players. That may be a secondary goal here? Get to them through the kid?
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texag101
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In reply to BMX Bandit • 9:49a, 12/6/25
BMX Bandit said:
Quote:
No, you're apparently just not reading it at all. The contract says he'll pay what he would have earned if he leaves early. It's irrelevant what he had been paid at the time he left. That's what he agreed to, so now he should pay. It's not complicated.


What they are seeking is not complicated, but whether or not they will be entitled to that is a different issue.

You can't just pull some number out of your rear and declare it "liquidated damages"
Jeez….do you even read? It's not a random number (even though it absolutely could have been). It's the amount GA would have paid him had he stayed. It's not a secret or made up. It's exactly what he agreed to from the get go.
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amercer
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9:52a, 12/6/25
AG
That's a weird contract structure and I'm not sure it will hold up in arbitration
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texag101
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In reply to amercer • 10:00a, 12/6/25
amercer said:
That's a weird contract structure and I'm not sure it will hold up in arbitration
What's weird about it? It's 100% logical and normal. We're going to invest in you. We're not going to recruit someone else to your position. We're organizing part of our football organization and future success around you being here. We're going to pay you x per month to be here + all the other expenses of having you here. Now, you're not a slave and you can leave if you want to but if you do we all agree that we should be compensated for the loss we're suffering by planning on you being here.
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FDT 1999
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In reply to nai06 • 10:13a, 12/6/25
AG
nai06 said:
What's the end game for Georgia here? Let's say they win, how are they going to get 390K from this player? Are they hoping he gets drafted and can pay?

I think Georgia's endgame is to deter players from hitting the portal. Like others have said, they aren't going to see the $390k, but they (and other schools as well) are tired of ponying up a lot of money to players only to have them leave. It's looks bad right now, but they're trying to shut this transfer **** down.
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aggiehawg
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In reply to FDT 1999 • 10:26a, 12/6/25
AG
FDT 1999 said:
nai06 said:
What's the end game for Georgia here? Let's say they win, how are they going to get 390K from this player? Are they hoping he gets drafted and can pay?

I think Georgia's endgame is to deter players from hitting the portal. Like others have said, they aren't going to see the $390k, but they (and other schools as well) are tired of ponying up a lot of money to players only to have them leave. It's looks bad right now, but they're trying to shut this transfer **** down.

Maybe not shut it down but just to begin some guardrails where virtually none exists currently. This current situation is a morass with no order nor structure. Anything goes such as it is now, creates chaos.
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