LOS ANGELES — Six former East Mississippi Community College football players who appeared in the documentary series “Last Chance U” have sued the school, Netflix, the National Junior College Athletic Association and the program’s director over their portrayals.
John Franklin III, Ronald Ollie, C.J. Reavis, Deandre Johnson, Tim Bonner and Isaiah Wright say they’re seeking $30 million in damages after receiving no compensation for their contributions to the project. They say they’re holding the defendants accountable “for the wrongful misappropriation of their likeness and to ensure fair compensation for their work.”
Franklin, Ollie and Reavis played for East Mississippi in 2015. Johnson and Bonner were there in 2016. Wright played in both 2015 and 2016.
The list of defendants also includes Conde Nast Entertainment and Greg Whiteley, the director and executive producer of “Last Chance U.” Conde Nast was listed as a production partner of the series, which focused on the lives of junior college football players. The first two of the series’ five seasons focused on East Mississippi.
The plaintiffs say they weren’t given an opportunity to consult an attorney or read their contracts in their entirety before agreeing to have their names and images included in the series. They said that at no point were they made aware the documentary would be marketed for commercial use while they were pressured into “impulsively signing agreements.”
“The most coercive tactic defendants used upon the plaintiffs was telling them if they did not sign the contracts, they were not eligible to practice,” John Pierce, the lawyer representing the players, said in a complaint filed last week at Los Angeles County superior court. “In turn, they would not be eligible to play games, and their football skills would deteriorate. Inability to practice meant closing the door on what they committed their whole life towards, eventually playing professional football. Plaintiffs had no real negotiation or any meaningful choice except signing what was presented to them without ever being instructed of the purpose of filming or being advised to read through the contract in its entirety.”
The complaint indicates East Mississippi sold merchandise involving the players portrayed in the series but that the plaintiffs didn’t receive any compensation. It also says Wright, Ollie and Franklin were portrayed in a false light, damaging their reputations.