Wisconsin is going after Miami for tampering in an unprecedented lawsuit.
In an unprecedented move, the Wisconsin Badgers are filing a lawsuit against the Miami Hurricanes for the poaching of star defensive back Xavier Lucas while he was under contract, according to Yahoo Sports’s Ross Dellenger.
“The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective filed a complaint in state circuit court on Friday against the University of Miami over alleged tortious interference, according to documents obtained by Yahoo Sports.”
“In a first-of-its-kind and, perhaps, a precedent-setting move, Wisconsin is seeking unspecified damages, transparency and accountability from Miami for allegedly interfering with a binding revenue-share contract between Wisconsin and Xavier Lucas, a former defensive back who left the program in January to compete at Miami. It was a groundbreaking decision in which Lucas transferred without entering the portal (it had already closed) and after signing the contract with the Badgers.”
Lucas had signed a binding revenue-share agreement with Wisconsin back in early December, but had announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal less than two weeks later.
Wisconsin refused to enter Lucas’s name in the transfer portal after he requested a transfer, despite NCAA bylaws mandating that requests be approved within two business days.
A statement was released back in January, with Wisconsin citing that Lucas had entered a binding agreement that was enforceable.
“Under the terms of the agreement between Xavier and Wisconsin Athletics, it remains in effect and enforceable. Badger student-athletes who have signed these agreements expect Wisconsin Athletics to honor the terms. In turn, Wisconsin Athletics relies on the student-athlete representations in signing these agreements that they will do the same.”
According to Dellenger, the lawsuit states that Miami communicated with Lucas despite knowing he had entered a contract with the school, something it terms as “intentional” interference that “was not justified or privileged” and caused Lucas to “breach” his contract.
“Miami interfered with UW-Madison’s relationship with Student-Athlete A (Lucas) by making impermissible contact with him and engaging in tampering,” according to the lawsuit.
The Big Ten also released a statement in support of Wisconsin.
“The Big Ten Conference is aware of the litigation recently filed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison against the University of Miami and is supportive of UW-Madison’s position,” The Big Ten said, via On3 Sports. “As alleged, the University of Miami knowingly ignored contractual obligations and disregarded the principle of competitive equity that is fundamental to collegiate athletics. The Big Ten Conference believes that the University of Miami’s actions are irreconcilable with a sustainable college sports framework and is supportive of UW-Madison’s efforts to preserve.”
Lucas had found a different way to leave Wisconsin, unenrolling in classes at the university and enrolling in classes at Miami, bypassing the NCAA rules that require athletes to enter the transfer portal to communicate with schools.
Now, the first known public dispute between a player and a school will head towards a lawsuit between Wisconsin and Miami. Wisconsin is not pursuing a lawsuit against Lucas, according to Dellenger.