Tag: lawsuit

Duke QB Darian Mensah can’t sign elsewhere until ruling

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Duke quarterback Darian Mensah will remain in transfer portal limbo while awaiting a courtroom decision.

He is allowed to enter the portal but can’t enroll at or play for another school until a North Carolina judge rules on Duke’s request for an injunction that would stop him from leaving the Blue Devils, ESPN reported Wednesday.

An injunction hearing is currently scheduled for Feb. 2 with Judge Ed Wilson of Durham County Superior Court.

Mensah’s attorney Darren Heitner is attempting to move the hearing to an earlier date, per the report.

Mensah announced on social media and told Blue Devils coach Manny Diaz he was entering the portal last Friday, the final day it was open.

Duke insists that Mensah is still bound by his multiyear NIL contract with the university.

“Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, and we expect he will do the same,” Duke’s athletics department 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 of our student-athletes, while expecting each of them to abide by their contractual obligations.”

Mensah had previously stated on Dec. 19 that he was returning for a second season with the Blue Devils instead of entering the draft after reportedly signing a two-year, $8 million deal ahead of the 2025 season.

After spending his freshman season at Tulane, Mensah was the second-team All-ACC quarterback in his first season with Duke, throwing for a conference-leading 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns with just six interceptions in 2025. He led the Blue Devils (9-5) to their first outright Atlantic Coast Conference championship since 1962.

Mensah reportedly wants to transfer within the Atlantic Coast Conference to Miami, potentially replacing outgoing starter Carson Beck.

–Field Level Media

Brian Kelly’s lawyers: LSU ‘made it nearly impossible’ to get new job

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Attorneys representing Brian Kelly have alleged that LSU’s handling of the embattled coach’s buyout negotiations has become an obstacle for him to be hired elsewhere.

Kelly’s team sent a pair of letters last week to new LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry and board of supervisors member John Carmouche, which accused the university of harming Kelly’s future employment opportunities by not confirming that he was fired without cause.

“As you know, there is absolutely no basis to LSU’s contrived positions that Coach Kelly was not terminated or that cause existed for such termination,” a letter sent Nov. 18 and obtained by multiple outlets said. “LSU’s conduct, including its failure to confirm that Coach Kelly was terminated without cause and its unsupported allegations of misconduct on the part of Coach Kelly, has made it nearly impossible for Coach Kelly to secure other football-related employment.”

A follow-up letter dated Nov. 19 reportedly said Kelly would withdraw his lawsuit against the school if LSU would confirm in writing that he was fired without cause, meaning the decision had solely to do with the football team’s performance.

Kelly filed his suit in a Louisiana court earlier this month seeking confirmation that LSU fired him without cause and therefore owed him the rest of the money on his contract. His buyout was worth between $53-54 million when LSU dismissed him Oct. 26 after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M.

That lawsuit said LSU informed Kelly he had not yet been “formally terminated” and that the school was planning to argue he would be fired for cause. But Kelly’s buyout clause includes offset language if he is able to land a new job, which could reduce some of the total LSU owes him.

LSU’s board on Friday voted in favor of allowing new university president Wade Rousse to formally terminate Kelly. LSU has not commented on the ongoing matter.

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2025; Athens, Ohio, USA; A football with the Ohio Bobcats logo is seen on the field during the fourth quarter of a game between the Ohio Bobcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Peden Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

NCAA must pay Robert Geathers, wife $18M in concussion suit

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The NCAA was found to be negligent in failing to warn a former South Carolina State football player about the long-term effects of concussions, a state jury ruled, resulting in a combined $18 million award to the former player and his wife.

An Orangeburg County jury delivered the verdict following a civil trial in which lawyers for Robert Geathers, 68, and his wife, Debra, argued that the NCAA was aware of the potential lasting dangers of concussions but did not share those safety concerns until after Geathers’ career ended.

“All the information they knew, they withheld,” attorney Bakari Sellers told jurors, per the Associated Press, claiming the NCAA had known about concussion risks since the 1930s.

Geathers was a defensive end at South Carolina State from 1977 to 1980.

During the trial, physicians testified that Geathers shows symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain condition that occurs after repeated head injuries.

Diagnosed with dementia in 2017, Geathers is unable to hold a job, dress himself or make a meal due to severe memory loss issues and other physical ailments, according to multiple reports.

Attorneys for Geathers and his wife argued these symptoms are the result of head injuries sustained during his football career that caused trauma he was unaware of at the time and resulted in symptoms that didn’t show up until decades after he last played college football.

The jury ruled the NCAA “unreasonably increased the risk of harm of head impacts to Robert Geathers over and above the risks inherent to playing football” and that the NCAA “voluntarily assumed duties to protect the health and safety of Robert Geathers” and that the NCAA “negligently breached their duties” to him.

The NCAA can appeal the verdict, which NCAA spokesperson Greg Johnson said the organization disagreed with, citing the results of multiple similar lawsuits.

The “NCAA has prevailed in every other jury trial around the country on these issues,” Johnson said, per the AP, and is “prepared to pursue our rights on post-trial motions and on appeal, if necessary.”

Geathers was awarded $10 million as a result of the civil trial and his wife was awarded $8 million for the loss of consortium.

The Geathers have two sons who played defensive end in the NFL. Robert Geathers Jr. played 11 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2004-14. Clifton Geathers played in 37 games for five teams from 2010-14.

–Field Level Media

Oct 8, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald gestures to the referees in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ryan Field. Wisconsin defeated Northwestern 42-7. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Northwestern and ex-coach Pat Fitzgerald settle suit

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Northwestern has reached a settlement in former football coach Pat Fitzgerald’s wrongful termination lawsuit.

Terms were not disclosed but Fitzgerald’s attorneys called it a “satisfactory settlement” on Thursday, per ESPN.

Fitzgerald sued the university for $130 million in October 2023. He was fired in July 2023 amid allegations of hazing within the Wildcats’ program.

“For the past two years, I have engaged in a process of extensive fact and expert discovery, which showed what I have known and said all along-that I had no knowledge of hazing ever occurring in the Northwestern football program and that I never directed or encouraged hazing in any way,” Fitzgerald said in a statement on Thursday.

Fitzgerald, 50, acknowledged that hazing did occur during his tenure as head coach at his alma mater from 2006-22 but that he was unaware of the problem at the time.

“I am extremely disappointed that members of the team engaged in this behavior and that no one reported it to me,” he said, “so that I could have alerted Northwestern’s Athletic Department and administrators, stopped the inappropriate behavior, and taken every necessary step to protect Northwestern’s student athletes.”

Fitzgerald, an All-American linebacker at Northwestern in the mid-1990s, compiled a 110-101 record over 17 seasons on the sideline in Evanston, Ill. His Wildcats were 5-5 in bowl games.

A statement released by the university said Fitzgerald did not condone or direct the hazing.

“While the litigation brought to light highly inappropriate conduct in the football program and the harm it caused, the evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing,” the statement read. “Moreover, when presented with the details of the conduct, he was incredibly upset and saddened by the negative impact this conduct had on players within the program.”

Fitzgerald’s case had been scheduled to go to trial in November.

“The rush to judgment in the media in July of 2023 and the reports that suggested I knew about and directed hazing are false and have caused me, my wife, and my three sons great stress, embarrassment, and reputational harm in the last two years,” Fitzgerald said. “Though I maintain Northwestern had no legal basis to terminate my employment for cause under the terms of my Employment Agreement, in the interest of resolving this matter and, in particular, to relieve my family from the stress of ongoing litigation, Northwestern and I have agreed to a settlement, and I am satisfied with the terms of the settlement.”

More than 50 former student-athletes filed lawsuits related to the hazing scandal. Northwestern settled the last 34 of those suits in May.

–Field Level Media

Jun 10, 2025; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores watches practices during minicamp at the Minnesota Vikings Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Vikings DC Brian Flores’ discrimination suit vs. NFL cleared for trial

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Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ civil discrimination claim against the NFL was cleared by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to proceed to trial, bypassing what the panel of judges felt was a flawed arbitration process involving commissioner Roger Goodell.

The former head coach of the Miami Dolphins and co-defendants are suing the league and three teams — the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Houston Texans — claiming Black coaches face discrimination. Flores’ claims do not list the New England Patriots, where he was the defensive coordinator prior to becoming a first-time head coach in Miami in 2019.

He filed the suit in 2022 after the Giants hired Brian Daboll as head coach, arguing his interview with the organization was scheduled primarily to appease the NFL rule mandating teams interview a minority candidate, known as the Rooney Rule.

Judge Valerie Caproni previously ruled — on March 1, 2023 — that Flores’ case could go to trial, prompting the NFL appeal.

In her written decision more than two years ago, Caproni mandated Flores seek arbitration in his claims against the Dolphins. She also said two other coaches submitting claims — Steve Wilks and Ray Horton — must seek arbitration, while otherwise siding with Flores on the merits of a jury trial.

Caproni described the details of experiences of minority coaches “incredibly troubling.” She cited specific claims in the suit of the NFL’s “long history of systematic discrimination toward Black players, coaches, and managers.”

Goodell said at the Super Bowl in February that the NFL would not cease diversity, equity and inclusion efforts despite a federal demand for a shift from the administration of President Donald Trump.

Entering the 2025 regular season, there are five Black head coaches in the NFL: Mike Tomlin (Steelers), Todd Bowles (Buccaneers), DeMeco Ryans (Texans) and, Raheem Morris (Falcons) and Aaron Glenn (Jets). Two others, Antonio Pierce (Raiders) and Jerod Mayo (Patriots), were fired after one season as head coach. Pierce was promoted from interim head coach in Las Vegas before the 2024 season.

Carponi said in her ruling it was “difficult to understand” how the league had only one Black head coach at the time Flores filed his lawsuit because “70 percent” of players under contract were Black. After being fired by the Dolphins, Flores spent 2022 as a defensive assistant for the Steelers where he worked under the only Black head coach at the time, Tomlin.

The appeals court decision written by Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes was centered around the judge’s opinion that Flores would not be granted true “neutral arbitration.” The decision states the NFL arbitration rules violate the Federal Arbitration Act because claims are decided by the NFL’s principal executive officer (Goodell), which “offends basic presumptions of our arbitration jurisprudence.”

Flores said at the time he filed the suit that he risked his coaching career. Last offseason, he was interviewed by the Chicago Bears for their head-coaching vacancy. The job ultimately went to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Claims in the suit from Flores about his time in Miami stem from what he said became friction with owner Stephen Ross. Flores said when he refused to recruit a prominent quarterback against NFL tampering rules, he became cast as an “angry Black man” in the eyes of the franchise brass. Flores said he was also offered $100,000 under the table from Ross for every loss during his first season as part of a detailed plan to “tank” to get the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The Dolphins fired Flores in January 2022 following consecutive winning seasons. He was 24-25 as Miami’s head coach.

The NFL conducted its own six-month investigation and claimed there was no evidence of the Dolphins intentionally losing games. However, the NFL determined Miami — Ross and vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal were named specifically — was in violation of the anti-tampering policy in attempts to communicate with Tom Brady and then-Saints coach Sean Payton, and failed to uphold the integrity of the game “on multiple occasions” between 2019-22. The league stripped the Dolphins of their 2023 first-round pick and a third-round pick in 2024.

Ross was fined $1.5 million, banned from the league meetings in 2023 and suspended from Aug. 2-Oct. 17, 2022. He was barred from being present at the team facility and representing the team at any team event during that time.

–Field Level Media

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; The hosts of ESPN First Take, Molly Qerim, Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Cam Newton, at the CFP Fan Central at the George World Congress Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Report: ESPN punts Shannon Sharpe after lawsuit settlement

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ESPN parted ways with Pro Football Hall of Fame member and media personality Shannon Sharpe, according to multiple reports Wednesday.

Sharpe was last with the network in April when a former girlfriend accused Sharpe of sexual assault and filed a $50 million lawsuit.

The ESPN move comes after the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, announced an out-of-court settlement on July 18 without divulging any financial figures while acknowledging a “long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship” between his client and Sharpe, 57.

Sharpe began appearing on ESPN’s “First Take” in September 2023. He signed a multi-year contract extension with the company last summer. When he stepped away in April, he called the move temporary and made it clear he intended to return to a role in national sports media.

A different allegation about Sharpe emerged in April. Front Office Sports reported he was accused of choking a female production assistant while working for Fox as the co-host of FS1’s “Undisputed.”

Per the report, Sharpe was not sued in the case, and he and Fox settled with the woman for several hundred thousand dollars. Sharpe’s camp denied that the choking incident happened.

Sharpe played 14 NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens, winning three Super Bowl titles.

–Field Level Media

Jul 22, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; ACC commissioner Jim Phillips speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Commissioner bullish on ACC’s future with lawsuits settled

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Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Jim Phillips said Tuesday he’s never felt better about his league’s future.

“We want to take another step this year,” he said at the ACC Kickoff media days in Charlotte. “The league is situated nicely right now.”

Phillips’ sunny outlook was boosted by the recent settlement of lawsuits with Florida State and Clemson, who were suing to try to leave the ACC. The sides negotiated new exit fees that would cost $165 million in 2026 before steadily decreasing to $75 million by 2030-31.

Phillips said he was proud of the way the ACC held firm during the long litigation process.

“You didn’t see us at all move this way or that way,” he said. “People said a lot of things about the league, but at the end of the day, that’s where we’re at, and (we) exercised our partnership with ESPN — which everybody said was not going to happen — through 2035-36, which gives us a platform of the ACC for the next decade.”

As the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference continue to grow in power, Phillips said it’s important for the ACC to stand strong amid the constant threat of future conference realignments.

“I have a responsibility to make sure that our ACC schools want to be in this league, not just have to be in this league,” he said.

Phillips has been the ACC commissioner since 2021. Prior to that, he was the athletic director at Northwestern from 2008-21 and at Northern Illinois from 2004-08.

–Field Level Media

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2), Ohio State offensive linesman Connor Smith (77) and Ohio State offensive linesman Scott Sika (72) sing Carmen Ohio after beating Ohio University during the second half of their NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on September 18, 2010. (The Columbus Dispatch photo by Neal C. Lauron)

Former Ohio State QB’s lawsuit over lost NIL opportunities dismissed

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A lawsuit seeking compensation from the NCAA for thousands of former Ohio State athletes was dismissed.

The class action suit against the NCAA, Ohio State, the Big Ten and others brought by former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was not done in a timely manner, according to Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah Morrison.

Pryor’s suit, filed in October, alleged that by not allowing student athletes to profit from the commercial use of their names, images and likenesses, the NCAA and other defendants violated antitrust law.

Pryor argued in the lawsuit that he “would have been one of the highest paid collegiate athletes in the country” if NIL had been legal while he was playing at Ohio State. He also claimed the NCAA and the other defendants continue to make revenue from his name, image and likeness.

Under U.S. antitrust laws, plaintiffs generally have a four-year window to bring a claim. Pryor was the quarterback at Ohio State from 2008-10.

“Mr. Pryor knew the material facts underlying his antitrust claims long before the four-year limitations period had run,” Morrison said in her ruling.

Additionally, Morrison ruled that as a public school and arm of the state, Ohio State was immune from the lawsuit.

Similar lawsuits were filed by former Southern California running back Reggie Bush, several former Michigan football players, and basketball players from Kansas and North Carolina State.

Since 2021, and under pressure from states and the courts, the NCAA has allowed student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). Student-athletes can now be compensated for merely showing up to play and can earn a profit for spokesperson gigs, clothing and autograph sales and more.

Additionally, a legal ruling on June 6 allowed colleges to directly pay players via revenue sharing for the first time. The settlement of House v. NCAA marked the end of the NCAA’s previous model of amateurism, in which athletes were not allowed to earn money while in school. Schools can now share up to $20.5 million of their revenues with their athletes.

–Field Level Media

Mar 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Shannon Sharpe during the second quarter between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Shannon Sharpe settles lawsuit over alleged sexual assault

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Shannon Sharpe reached a settlement with a woman who accused him of sexual assault during their relationship, attorney Tony Buzbee announced Friday.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer had stepped away from his television work to address the lawsuit.

Buzbee represented the woman, who used the pseudonym Jane Doe while seeking $50 million in a lawsuit filed in Nevada in April. She accused Sharpe of sexually assaulting her, battering her and using his fame to control and subjugate her while they were in a relationship.

“On April 20, 2025, The Buzbee Law Firm filed a complaint in Nevada making several allegations against Shannon Sharpe on behalf of our client. Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship,” Buzbee wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Friday. “After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution. All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”

Sharpe’s lawyer had previously said they had offered at least $10 million to settle the claim. They have characterized the accusations as “false and disruptive.”

Details of Friday’s settlement were not released, and Sharpe’s representatives have not commented.

Sharpe began appearing on ESPN’s “First Take” in September 2023. He signed a multi-year contract extension with the company last summer. When he stepped away in April, he called the move temporary and has made it clear he intends to return to a role in national sports media. But it’s unclear whether ESPN will have him back.

A different allegation about Sharpe emerged in April, when Front Office Sports reported he was accused of choking a female production assistant while working for Fox as the co-host of FS1’s “Undisputed.”

Per the report, Sharpe was not sued in the case, and he and Fox settled with the woman for several hundred thousand dollars. Sharpe’s camp denied that the choking incident happened.

–Field Level Media

Buffalo Bills Maxwell Hairston jogs to another area of the field during voluntary workout at their practice facility on May 27, 2025.

Bills No. 1 pick Maxwell Hairston named in lawsuit

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Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston is being sued by a woman who claims he sexually assaulted her in 2021 when he was an early enrollee at Kentucky.

Hairston, 21, was the Bills’ first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in April, taken No. 30 overall.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. The unidentified woman also accuses Hairston of intentional infliction of emotional distress. She is seeking a jury trial and compensatory damages.

According to the filing, which was reviewed by USA Today, the woman alleges that Hairston unexpectedly showed up at her dorm room on March 24, 2021. He told her he wanted to “hang out” with her, and the woman said she was tired and didn’t want a visitor. She said she was going to bed and walked away from the door.

Per USA Today, the woman claims in the lawsuit that Hairston followed her into her bedroom, then forced himself upon her and sexually assaulted her after she rejected his requests to have sex.

“Our client showed remarkable strength in coming forward, and we are proud to stand with her in pursuit of accountability and justice,” said Peter Flowers, one of the women’s attorneys, according to the report. “No one — regardless of their status or athletic success — is above the law.”

Before the draft, the Bills were aware of the allegations made by the woman, who had filed a report with the university.

“He’s an impeccable kid. We did a lot of research,” general manager Brandon Beane said the day after the draft. “I think all teams were aware of the Title IX thing. That was fully investigated by the school. He even volunteered to do a polygraph and had notes. It was one of those where there was zero information saying that this actually happened, to what the accusation was.

“You can’t just take someone’s account and think that’s the truth. But yes, we fully investigated that. If there was anything to that, he wouldn’t have been invited to the combine. … Every person you talk to at Kentucky, teammates, staff there, plus what we’ve done, I would say this is a heck of a young man, every person you ask. That’s unfortunate when things like that are attached to someone’s name; in this case, it doesn’t seem to be anything there.”

–Field Level Media