​​Cincinnati-Sorsby Lawsuit Marks Latest NIL Court Fight in CFB

The new trend of universities suing college football players over NIL (name, image, and likeness) and transfer portal disputes continued this week.

The University of Cincinnati filed a lawsuit Wednesday against former star quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who transferred to Texas Tech last month, reportedly signing a deal that will pay him $5 million this year.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division, alleges a “breach of contract” by Sorsby, who Cincinnati says signed an 18-month, two-season NIL deal in July. Upon the contract’s signing, according to the lawsuit, Sorsby and Cincinnati agreed that he would pay the school $1 million if he transferred before the deal ended. Sorsby, however, has not yet paid Cincinnati.

Sorsby’s agent, Ron Slavin of Lift Sports Management, in a statement called Cincinnati’s lawsuit “misguided.” 

“The money the university seeks to recover from him is nothing more than an unlawful penalty under Ohio law,” said Slavin, who added that Sorsby will “pursue any and all damages” he incurs from the legal situation. Cincinnati paid Sorsby $875,000 from its revenue-sharing pool last season, Slavin said.

Court in Session

This is at least the third instance of a Power 4 program suing one of its former players over an NIL or transfer portal dispute.

Last month, Duke reached a settlement with former quarterback Darian Mensah to resolve litigation stemming from his decision to transfer to Miami. Financial terms of the settlement were not revealed, but Mensah had signed a two-year deal reported to be worth $8 million before playing just one season for the Blue Devils.

Georgia and former defensive end Damon Wilson are countersuing each other over the school’s claims that Wilson owes them NIL money for his decision to transfer to Missouri ahead of the 2025 season. That case is still unresolved, and Wilson transferred to his third college, Miami, last month.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State quarterback Jaden Rashada agreed to a settlement in his lawsuit against former Florida coach Billy Napier and others earlier this month over alleged unfulfilled NIL payments. That instance did not include the school suing a player or being sued by a player, though.