The University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Big Ten Conference have initiated a lawsuit against the University of Miami, alleging that the Hurricanes have tampered with former Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas. He promoted the breaking of a revenue-sharing agreement . Lawsuit Associated With NIL Contracts The lawsuit is one of the first major challenges to the enforceability of NIL-related contracts and alongside their associated logic of the ability of universities to hold on to athletes in the evolving landscape of college sports.
Why Wisconsin says Miami oversteppedLucas signed a two-year NIL revenue-sharing agreement with the university on Dec. 2, 2024, according to the Wisconsin state court complaint. Wisconsin then refused to allow him to enter the NCAA transfer portal a few weeks later, arguing the agreement was binding. The university alleges Miami personnel and boosters subsequently contacted Lucas and his family to promise a more lucrative NIL deal if he went from Wisconsin to Miami, but without following proper transfer procedures.
According to Wisconsin, Lucas was never processed into the NCAA portal but rather dropped out of classes, exited campus, and registered to attend Miami in January 2025. They allege that this would break NCAA rules that require schools to get within two business days of receiving portal requests. They are also seeking damages and a court order forcing Miami to reveal its communications with Lucas, saying the alleged tampering threatens the integrity and balance of the college football ecosystem.
What is the future of college football after this controversy?It could serve as a legal precedent in the sense that this is one of the first such instances with a Power Five school suing another for NIL-related tampering. And it also illustrates how revenue-share deals work. This is a whole new territory after the House v. NCAA settlement, which might be superior in law. The Big Ten has since backed up Wisconsin, saying that the alleged interference "jeopardizes the integrity of intercollegiate athletics."
Also Read: CFP mandates player availability reports beginning next season in push for transparency
In response, an attorney for Lucas has argued that Wisconsin's NIL deal was "merely a memorandum of understanding" and not completely enforceable. The commissioner also contended that the school practically kept Lucas “hostage” by refusing to set Lucas’ name in the portal. In turn, the NCAA has cemented that student-athletes will be free to transfer and compete wherever they choose as long as they are not still enrolled at their original school (as is the case with no portal entry).
If this lawsuit becomes one for the history books it will likely do so as NIL deals continue to become more formalized and legally binding. It will challenge the enforceability of contracts between athletes and universities and reshape how schools recruit, pay, and retain student athletes in the ever more professionalized world of college sports.
Why Wisconsin says Miami oversteppedLucas signed a two-year NIL revenue-sharing agreement with the university on Dec. 2, 2024, according to the Wisconsin state court complaint. Wisconsin then refused to allow him to enter the NCAA transfer portal a few weeks later, arguing the agreement was binding. The university alleges Miami personnel and boosters subsequently contacted Lucas and his family to promise a more lucrative NIL deal if he went from Wisconsin to Miami, but without following proper transfer procedures.
NEWS: In a landmark moment in college sports, the University of Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit against Miami for tampering, and eventually poaching, a college football player under contract (Xavier Lucas), per documents obtained by @YahooSports.https://t.co/KVYafcAdm5
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 20, 2025
According to Wisconsin, Lucas was never processed into the NCAA portal but rather dropped out of classes, exited campus, and registered to attend Miami in January 2025. They allege that this would break NCAA rules that require schools to get within two business days of receiving portal requests. They are also seeking damages and a court order forcing Miami to reveal its communications with Lucas, saying the alleged tampering threatens the integrity and balance of the college football ecosystem.
What is the future of college football after this controversy?It could serve as a legal precedent in the sense that this is one of the first such instances with a Power Five school suing another for NIL-related tampering. And it also illustrates how revenue-share deals work. This is a whole new territory after the House v. NCAA settlement, which might be superior in law. The Big Ten has since backed up Wisconsin, saying that the alleged interference "jeopardizes the integrity of intercollegiate athletics."
Also Read: CFP mandates player availability reports beginning next season in push for transparency
In response, an attorney for Lucas has argued that Wisconsin's NIL deal was "merely a memorandum of understanding" and not completely enforceable. The commissioner also contended that the school practically kept Lucas “hostage” by refusing to set Lucas’ name in the portal. In turn, the NCAA has cemented that student-athletes will be free to transfer and compete wherever they choose as long as they are not still enrolled at their original school (as is the case with no portal entry).
If this lawsuit becomes one for the history books it will likely do so as NIL deals continue to become more formalized and legally binding. It will challenge the enforceability of contracts between athletes and universities and reshape how schools recruit, pay, and retain student athletes in the ever more professionalized world of college sports.
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