Zion’s ex-agent repeats claims of NCAA violations; His attorney says they’re ‘baseless’
Zion Williamson’s former agent reiterated her allegations that Williamson violated NCAA rules while at Duke, according to court documents filed in a Greensboro federal court.
Gina Ford of Prime Sports Marketing, who is in a contract dispute with the current NBA star, repeated claims, without presenting evidence, that Williamson and his family accepted improper benefits that should have ruled him ineligible under NCAA amateurism rules.
The documents were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on Tuesday.
Ford’s claims are her defense for signing Williamson to marketing contract even though she admits being in violation of North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete-Agent Act. Ford is not a registered agent in the state. Because of that, Williamson’s attorneys argue, the contract he signed with her in April 2019 is void and she has no claim to damages for him breaking it to sign with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation in May 2019.
Ford insists Williamson, now a rookie with the New Orleans Pelicans, owes her $100 million for breaking the contract.
Her attorneys want Williamson, his family members and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to answer her claims under oath in depositions.
Jeffrey Klein, one of Williamson’s attorneys, called Ford’s continued allegations “shameful” and “baseless” in a statement emailed to the News & Observer on Wednesday.
“Gina Ford’s and Prime Sports Marketing’s latest filing is a shameful attempt to distract from their admitted violations of North Carolina law,” Klein said. “As Duke University stated in 2019, they and the NCAA both investigated and confirmed Mr. Williamson’s student-athlete eligibility. The defendants’ baseless allegations are a continuation of the predatory acts the agent statute was designed to protect against. Mr. Williamson looks forward to his day in court in North Carolina and, until then, remains focused on the NBA season and proudly representing his family, fans, and the city of New Orleans.”
Ford’s allegations raise questions about the Durham home Williamson’s parents, Lee and Sharonda Anderson, rented during Zion Williamson’s lone year at Duke. Earlier court documents say Ford visited the Williamsons at home multiple times in early 2019 and that’s where the her contract with Zion Williamson was signed.
Tuesday’s court filings include Ford’s claim that the home’s owner, Thomas Morris, is a Duke graduate.
But the only Thomas Morris who is listed as a Duke graduate in the school’s online alumni directory is a George Thomas Morris, who lives at 3903 Saint Marks Road in Durham with his wife, Lynn Schmalzer, according to Durham County tax records.
George Thomas Morris’ online LinkedIn biography says he received an undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1981 before graduating from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business in 1990. Information on Duke’s alumni database concurs.
The home Ford says the Williamson’s rented at 81 Edgewood Drive in Durham’s Colvard Farms neighborhood is owned by Thomas and Monika Morris, according to Chatham County tax records. The couple bought another home in Apex in 2017, according to Wake County tax records, and currently reside there.
The Edgewood Drive house is currently listed for rent by Block and Associates Realty.
Ford first made the allegations about Williamson and NCAA violations in a Florida court last month. Williamson initially sued her in the Greensboro court in June 2019. She followed with a lawsuit in Florida since Prime Sports Marketing is headquartered in Miami.
A Florida circuit court judge in Miami ruled last Tuesday that Williamson should be deposed and answer questions under oath regarding the eligibility claims. Two days later, a Florida appeals court issued a stay on that deposition, saying the federal case in Greensboro should be allowed to proceed.
So this week, Ford filed the similar claims in Greensboro in an attempt to throw out Williamson’s lawsuit so she can claim the $100 million she seeks.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 11:35 AM.