get these nets
Veteran
Duke’s Darian Mensah can enter transfer portal but can’t play elsewhere, judge’s order says
Entry into the portal would allow schools to officially contact Mensah. Miami was considered the favorite to land him.
www.nytimes.com
01/22/26
In its lawsuit, Duke cited a two-year contract that Mensah signed in December 2024, which granted exclusive NIL rights to Duke through Dec. 31, 2026. The deal, which began as a third-party NIL agreement, transitioned to a revenue-sharing contract with Duke last summer under the terms of a multibillion-dollar antitrust settlement known as the House settlement. As of July 1, 2025, colleges were allowed to distribute up to $20.5 million in revenue sharing directly to athletes across all sports for the 2025-26 school year.
The suit claims that if Mensah is allowed to break the contract by entering the transfer portal, enrolling at another school, playing football and/or licensing his NIL rights to another school, it would cause Duke “irreparable harm.” Mensah’s contract does not include an early termination, or a “buyout” clause.
The complaint also argues there is a “strong public interest” in this case and that allowing Mensah to breach the contract would “undermine the integrity of these agreements.”
“Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke, which the university intends to honor, and we expect he will do the same,” a Duke athletics spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “The court-ordered temporary restraining order (TRO) issued yesterday ensures he does not violate his contract. The university is committed to supporting all our student-athletes, while expecting each of them to abide by their contractual obligations.”
O’Foghludha ordered Duke to post a $1,000 bond, which would go to Mensah if his side ultimately prevails. Quarterbacks of his caliber typically command millions of dollars in the NIL market.
