This battle has gone from the gridiron to the courtroom.
The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective, VC Collect, filed a historic lawsuit Friday alleging the University of Miami broke the law in poaching one of its football players, according to multiple reports.
Both Yahoo and ESPN called it a “first of its kind” attempt to involve courts in the honoring of a financial deal between a university and an athlete.
Xavier Lucas during a 2024 game. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
While the lawsuit does not mention a specific player, calling him “Student Athlete A,” the lawsuit reportedly is in line with the maneuverings 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.
Wisconsin’s mascot, Bucky. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Badgers reportedly stated in the lawsuit that they hope this will help the integrity of college sports and hold programs legally accountable if they interfere with athletes’ commitments.
Yahoo reported that Wisconsin in seeking unspecified financial damages with the…
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Publish date : 2025-06-21 13:19:00
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