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Two of the existential questions in college sports—athlete eligibility and revenue-sharing contracts—are in the legal spotlight.
On Tuesday, Duke announced it had settled its lawsuit against former quarterback Darian Mensah, which argued Mensah had violated the terms of his NIL/revenue-sharing contract by leaving before the contract was up in December 2026. Duke argued the contract prevented Mensah from playing on another team or giving any other school rights to his name, image, and likeness. The lawsuit marked the first time a school sued its current player over a revenue-sharing contract.
Instead of battling it out in court, the parties reached a resolution this week. Hours after Mensah and Duke made the announcement, Mensah committed to Miami.
Meanwhile, last week, Alabama men’s basketball player Charles Bediako sued the NCAA arguing it should grant him eligibility despite playing three years in the NBA’s G League and signing three different NBA contracts, including a two-way deal. The NCAA has granted eligibility to former G Leaguers, but argued Bediako’s NBA contracts were disqualifying—even if they were only in place for a short time, and he never appeared in an NBA game. A judge granted Bediako temporary eligibility until a Feb. 6 hearing.
Another wrinkle: The judge who granted Bediako temporary eligibility has since recused himself after FOS and others reported he donated at least six figures to Alabama athletics.
—Amanda Christovich
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