"Actors from 'Last Chance U' file $30M lawsuit against Netflix and other parties"
Six ex-college football players are suing for $30 million, claiming they were inaccurately depicted on the Netflix series "Last Chance U," according to Front Office Sports.
The former athletes, who were featured on the show while playing at East Mississippi Community College in 2015 and 2016, reportedly filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Defendants in the case include Netflix, East Mississippi Community College, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), production company Conde Nast, and the executive producer of "Last Chance U."
The players argue that they were portrayed in "misleading, offensive, or highly objectionable" ways and were not compensated for their appearances on the successful docuseries, despite the college and Conde Nast profiting from merchandise sales and Netflix paying a large sum to Nast.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants have "unjustly enriched" themselves by exploiting the players' private lives and manipulating their characters for financial gain. The players' attorney, John Pierce, stated that the defendants took advantage of the players' lack of bargaining power and damaged their reputations.
The suit also alleges that the players were pressured to sign contracts without fully understanding how the show would be marketed.
One of the players, Ronald Ollie, claims that his portrayal on the show contributed to him being unsigned by the Baltimore Ravens and released by the then-Oakland Raiders during the 2019 preseason. The lawsuit states that the depiction of Ollie as "lazy, unmotivated, and lacking work ethic" is false and has hindered his career opportunities.
Front Office Sports reached out to Netflix for comment, but they declined. The other defendants did not provide a comment.
The other five plaintiffs in the case are John Franklin III, Cary Sidney Reavis II, Deandre Johnson, Tim Bonner, and Isaiah Wright, who all appeared on the football version of "Last Chance U" before it ended in 2020 after five seasons.
