The legal enforceability of a revenue share agreement between a football player and institution is at the crux of a landmark legal case between two Power Four schools that could have wide-ranging implications.
The University of Wisconsin sued the University of Miami on Friday over alleged tampering and tortious interference of a two-year agreement with defensive back Xavier Lucas, a member of the Badgers’ 2024 team. Lucas is not mentioned by name in the lawsuit — only referred to as Student-Athlete A — but all of the details line up after he left Wisconsin in January to join Miami’s football program as the No. 1 cornerback in the transfer portal.
Wisconsin alleges that Miami intentionally interfered and tampered with Lucas’ deal with the Badgers not long after he received a substantial payment following the deal’s execution.
“Miami’s interference caused Student-Athlete A to breach the university contract, resulting in great harm to UW-Madison,” the complaint alleges. “Such harm includes, without limitations, loss of a student-athlete with valuable NIL rights who plaintiff UW-Madison anticipated having in UW-Madison’s program for the 2025 football season and beyond. Further harms include the loss of financial benefits UW-Madison stood to receive from Student-Athlete A’s continued participation in its football program.”
Wisconsin wants compensation for the financial and reputational harm it and collective VC Connect suffered in losing Lucas, but what it really wants is to set a precedent. If successful, Wisconsin’s lawsuit could have a significant impact in decreasing tampering and increasing roster stability in what has been years’ worth of unregulated free agency in college athletics. Its decision to bring a lawsuit at all is noteworthy — and months in the making.
The buildup to the lawsuit
Dec. 17, 2024, could prove to be one of the more important days in college football history. …
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