This battle has gone from the gridiron to the courtroom.
The University of Wisconsin, along with its NIL collective, VC Collect, initiated a groundbreaking lawsuit this past Friday. The lawsuit claims that the University of Miami unlawfully persuaded one of its football players to transfer, as reported by multiple sources.
Both Yahoo and ESPN have described this as a “first of its kind” legal approach to address the enforcement of financial agreements between a university and an athlete.
Although the lawsuit refers to a player as “Student Athlete A” without naming anyone specifically, it is reportedly connected to the activities of former Badgers freshman defensive back, Xavier Lucas.
Lucas left Wisconsin and enrolled at Miami in January despite Wisconsin not placing him in the transfer portal and after signing a two-year revenue-sharing deal with the school beginning July 1, per Yahoo.
Wisconsin alleges Miami committed “tortious interference” after a Hurricanes staffer and a “prominent” alum met with Lucas and his family in Florida and offered financial compensation to head to the ACC school despite knowing of his deal with Wisconsin, per ESPN.
The lawsuit alleges that Wisconsin’s revenue-sharing deal prohibits a player from transferring to another school to continue playing sports, although ESPN noted that similar Wisconsin contracts make it clear the individual is not being paid to play football but is being compensated for NIL.
The Badgers reportedly stated in the lawsuit they hope this will help the integrity of college sports and hold programs legally accountable if they interference with athlete’s commitments.
Yahoo reported that Wisconsin in seeking unspecified financial damages with the filing.
“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” Wisconsin said in a statement to ESPN.
Lucas’ attorney, Darren Heitner, told ESPN that the athlete is not being sued directly, and added to the Associated Press that his client still intends to play football for Miami this upcoming season.
He tweeted in January that Wisconsin violated NCAA rules by not placing Lucas in the transfer portal and that the school had not paid its player any money, meaning Lucas did not owe them any compensation.
Lucas, a native of Pompano Beach, Fla., tallied 18 tackles across 11 games last year for the Badgers.
The Big Ten is supporting its conference member’s efforts.
“The Big Ten Conference is aware of the litigation recently filed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison against the University of Miami and is supportive of UW-Madison’s position,” the league said in a statement, according to On3. “As alleged, the University of Miami knowingly ignored contractual obligations and disregarded the principle of competitive equity that is fundamental to collegiate athletics. The Big Ten Conference believes that the University of Miami’s actions are irreconcilable with a sustainable college sports framework and is supportive of UW-Madison’s efforts to preserve.”
This lawsuit comes right after the landmark court ruling that schools can start paying their student athletes directly beginning July 1.
