Jason Brown, former Independence (Kan.) Community College head coach and Last Chance U star, has filed a $30 million lawsuit against Netflix over his portrayal in the show, TMZ reported Monday.
Brown is seeking $10 million in lost income, $10 million in "reputational" damage, $5 million in emotional distress and $5 million in emotional distress after, the suit argues, producers "cut, pasted, edited, and distorted" footage "to depict him as a volatile, abusive tyrant for their financial gain."
After focusing on East Mississippi Community College in Seasons 1 and 2, Last Chance U shifted to Independence for Seasons 3 and 4. The first installment followed Brown and the Pirates through their 2017 season, in which the club won its first conference championship in 30 years and knocked off No. 4 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the Midwest Bowl Classic to close the year.
Season 4 chronicled the team's implosion. Beginning the year ranked No. 6 in the nation, ICC lost eight consecutive games over the course of the year, concluding with a 2-8 record.
The show regularly captured Brown berating players and assistant coaches. (Language warning.)
Brown resigned in 2019, before Season 4 aired, after a local newspaper reported he told a German player on the team, "I am your new Hitler."
He was later charged with eight felonies for allegedly impersonating a lawyer in an attempt to send cease-and-desist letters to the newspaper and other outlets following the "Hitler" comments. The charges were dismissed in 2021.
Brown is not the first former Last Chance U star to sue the show. Just last month, six former EMCC players also filed a $30 million suit against Netflix, along with other parties, for allegedly withholding compensation for their part in the show's success and for allegedly forcing them to consent to be filmed for the show.
"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," the plaintiffs' lawyer John Pierce said. "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."
Brown alleges he had six-figure offers to coach in the NCAA and XFL that were later pulled because of his portrayal in the show.
"'I'm just going to be honest with you, I don't really care if you've got cameras. If you choose us I'm either going to be at Independence next year or I'm going to be at Alabama or I'm going to be fired. It is is what it is,'" Brown recalled telling Last Chance U producers in a 2017 interview with FootballScoop. "They got a kick out of that and they chose us."
No longer in coaching, Brown has pivoted to leveraging his Last Chance U fame into media stardom. He launched the now-defunct SlapDick Whiskey brand and now hosts The Coach JB Show podcast. Brown also authored the book Hate Me Now, Love Me Later and appeared on This Past Weekend with Theo Von and the Pat McAfee show.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.