The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective, VC Connect, filed a joint lawsuit Friday against the University of Miami alleging the Atlantic Coast Conference program knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida school this upcoming season.
Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level, and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics.
The player in question in the filing is referred to only as “Student-Athlete A,” but the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, an attorney who has been representing Lucas, indicated Big Ten Conference member Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas’ name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami in the 2025 season.
The situation is fallout from the rapid changes engulfing college athletics, most notably changes to NCAA rules allowing student-athletes to strike NIL endorsement deals — some worth millions of dollars — and transfer with immediate eligibility in most cases. That has changed the recruiting landscape and forced the issue of contracts and signed commitments to the fore.