The University of Georgia is seeking $390,000 from former Bulldog defensive end Damon Wilson after he transferred to the University of Missouri.
According to WSB-TV, the University of Georgia Athletic Association said the Classic City Collective “obtained a license to use Wilson’s name, image, and likeness in exchange for payment of fees over the life of the Agreement,” and that “Wilson promised to pay the Collective liquidated damages ‘equal to all remaining Licensing Fees that would otherwise have been payable to [him] under the Agreement.’”
Wilson notified Georgia on Jan. 6, 2025, of his intent to transfer and “withdrew from UGA on January 13, 2025, and left the football team the next day.”
WSB-TV reported that Wilson had played for UGA as a freshman and sophomore before transferring, just two weeks after signing a new deal with the Classic City Collective.
“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 ESPN on Friday.
Wilson was served last week with a summons.
“After all the facts come out, people will be shocked at how the University of Georgia treated a student athlete,” Bogdan Susan, a Missouri-based attorney representing Wilson, told ESPN. “It has never been about the money for Damon, he just wants to play the game he loves and pursue his dream of playing in the NFL.”
The university’s filing shows Wilson received his first $30,000 payment on Dec. 24, 2024. Less than two weeks later, he declared his plans to transfer.
