In a move that could reshape the college sports landscape, the University of Wisconsin and its name, image, and likeness collective, VC Connect, LLC, sued the University of Miami on Friday, alleging that Miami tampered with former Badgers football player Xavier Lucas and interfered with NIL contracts signed by Lucas.
This is believed to be the first lawsuit by an NCAA university seeking to enforce rights under an NIL contract with one of its athletes, and the outcome could have significant implications for transfers of athletes to other schools.
Wisconsin and VC Connect are seeking unspecified damages for tortious interference with contract and have also asked the court to declare that Miami tampered with Wisconsin’s relationship with Lucas. Lucas is not a defendant in the lawsuit, which does not seek to prohibit Lucas from playing for Miami.
On December 2, Lucas, who had just ended his freshman season as a starting defensive back with the Badgers, signed NIL contracts with Wisconsin and VC Connect. Under his NIL contract with Wisconsin, Lucas agreed not to play for any other school and was prohibited from granting any NIL rights to another school.
Lucas participated in the shooting of promotional videos for the UW football program on December 12 and left for Florida on December 15 for the winter semester break. Two days later, Lucas informed a UW assistant coach that he wanted to be placed in the NCAA transfer portal. Wisconsin, citing his obligations under the NIL contracts, denied that request. But by January, Lucas had enrolled at Miami, despite not formally being in the NCAA transfer portal and missing the deadline for transfer applications at Miami.
Wisconsin claims that a member of Miami’s football coaching staff and a prominent Miami alumnus met with Lucas and his family when he returned to Florida over winter break, offering financial incentives to lure him away, actions Wisconsin says violated NCAA norms and the terms of the NIL contracts with Lucas.
Wisconsin characterized its two-year NIL contract with Lucas as one of the most lucrative NIL financial deals of any UW football player. The NIL contract with Wisconsin was to take effect on July 1, the first day universities can directly pay athletes under the recently approved House v. NCAA settlement. Lucas was under contract with VC Connect until the effective date of the House settlement. According to the lawsuit, Lucas received payments from VC Connect before departing for Miami.
Miami has yet to comment on the allegations. Lucas’s attorney maintained that Lucas has not received any money from Wisconsin or its collective and denied that Lucas met with a Miami coach and a prominent alumnus in December.
Wisconsin argues that Miami’s actions undermine the integrity of NIL deals and the broader fairness of collegiate athletics and that NIL contracts would be rendered meaningless if players are allowed to abandon their contractual obligations. If Wisconsin prevails in this litigation, schools may be reluctant to accept a transfer player bound by an NIL contract that prohibits such a move.
