Zion Williamson files for protective order from demand he admit receiving illegal benefits at Duke
Zion Williamson has requested a protective order against an inquiry by his former marketing agent into illegal benefits he allegedly received at Duke, according to Daniel Wallach of The Athletic.
In the filing for the order, Williamson’s legal team called the requests from Gina Ford “invasive” and “irrelevant.”
BREAKING: Zion Williamson files for protective order against ‘invasive' and 'irrelevant' discovery requests, seeks court order to block Gina Ford’s inquiry into past eligibility at Duke and whether he received any improper economic benefits. pic.twitter.com/7GM4Hppyp7
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) May 28, 2020
The legal back-and-forth is part of dueling lawsuits between Williamson and the marketing agent he reportedly once signed a deal with before backing out.
Zion Williamson’s legal battle continues
Ford, the president of Prime Marketing Sports, has alleged Williamson signed a five-year deal for her company to represent him in marketing negotiations days after he declared for the 2019 NBA draft. A month later, an email was reportedly sent to Ford saying the agreement had been canceled after he signed with mega-agency CAA Sports.
The lawsuit against Williamson is seeking $100 million.
Williamson’s legal defense has been multi-faceted. He has claimed that Ford fraudulently exaggerated her credentials while pursuing him as a client and pointed to Prime Sports not being certified by the National Basketball Players Association or considered a registered agent in North Carolina or Florida.
Where Ford’s request for Williamson’s illegal benefit admission comes in is the star’s contention that she failed to include a line in bold letters starting he would lose his college eligibility if he signed, as required by North Carolina law.
By requesting Williamson admit his family members received illegal benefits while he was an amateur, Ford is likely contending that Williamson was well aware his days as an amateur were over. While Williamson had declared for the draft when he signed for her, he still could have supposedly returned to school according to NCAA rules.
Whether or not a judge decides Williamson shouldn’t have to face questions about those benefits could play a major part in where the legal battle goes from here.
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