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Six former Mississippi junior college football players alleged they were portrayed in a false light and received no compensation for appearing in the Netflix docuseries Last Chance U, according to a lawsuit against Netflix and others obtained by Front Office Sports.
The players are seeking $30 million in damages in the lawsuit filed this month in Los Angeles. In the complaint, the six alleged they were portrayed in a “misleading, offensive, or highly objectionable” manner over the first two seasons of Last Chance U and received no money despite the series’ success. The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), East Mississippi Community College, Condé Nast, which was among the production companies involved in the series, and the series’ director/executive producer were also listed as defendants.
“Make no mistake, each of the defendants have been unjustly enriched by intruding upon the private lives of the plaintiffs, taking unfair advantage of them through defendants’ superior bargaining power, manipulating many of plaintiffs’ characters, along with other means for their own financial gain while sacrificing any decent reputation plaintiffs had,” the players’ attorney, John Pierce, wrote in the lawsuit.
John Franklin III, Ronald Ollie, Cary Sidney Reavis II, Deandre Johnson, Tim Bonner, and Isaiah Wright (in photo above)—the plaintiffs in the suit—played at East Mississippi Community College during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, which were profiled in the first two seasons of Last Chance U. The football version of the show ran a total of five seasons, the last debuting in 2020.
Netflix declined comment when reached by FOS.
According to the lawsuit, the players were “continually pestered and faced with repeated demands to sign” contracts without knowing where the show “would be shopped around or marketed for commercial value.”
“Plaintiffs were misled and unaware of the potential commercial value the footage had,” the lawsuit stated. “However, defendants were aware of the high probability the documentary would turn into a highly profitable production.”
The National Junior College Athletic Association “skyrocketed” in popularity and saw increased revenue as a result of Last Chance U. East Mississippi Community College “generated a wealth of revenue by selling player merchandise” and Condé Nast “received a large amount of money from Netflix in exchange for the rights to publish Last Chance U,” according to the complaint.
“Plaintiffs received no compensation from Netflix, Condé Nast, or any other party for their significant contribution to Last Chance U,” the lawsuit states. NJCAA, EMCC and Condé Nast did not provide comment before publication. Attorney Jason Morrin was the first to report on X that the lawsuit had been filed.
Ollie alleged his portrayal on the show led the Ravens to not sign him and led the Raiders to release him during the preseason in 2019.
“The image that Ronald Ollie being lazy, unmotivated, and lacking work ethic is a false narrative,” the lawsuit alleged. “However, Last Chance U portrayed him in a false light which destroyed career opportunities for Ronald Ollie.”
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