"I’m guessing there will be a venue complaint return" - CFB insider gives scoop on Wisconsin-Miami tampering lawsuit

Last week, Wisconsin and its NIL collective filed a tampering lawsuit against Miami. The Badgers alleged that the Hurricanes had illegally poached defensive back Xavier Lucas, who left Madison abruptly for Miami in January.

The first-of-its-kind legal action has the potential to be a watershed moment in collegiate athletics' history. Lucas had a standout freshman season with the Badgers, sparking interest from the Hurricanes.

How the transfer was done led to the bone of contention. After a series of disputes on his planned exit, Lucas withdrew from Wisconsin and enrolled at Miami. In Wednesday's appearance on the “College GameDay Podcast,” Dan Wetzel gave an insight into the lawsuit.

“First off, I love it,” Wetzel said (Timestamp: 20:42). “We have one school suing the other. Wisconsin sues Miami in Dane County Circuit Court. They didn’t go federal on this. Dane County Circuit Court, which is the county of Madison. They’re going for the home game against the Hurricanes. “Jury trial. Stack the odds. I think they play ‘Jump Around’ before the closing arguments in Dane County Circuit Court. So, I’m guessing there will be a venue complaint return from Miami that we do not have standing in Dane County.”

In December, Xavier Lucas reportedly intended to enter the transfer portal. However, about a week later, the cornerback disclosed publicly that the school had not officially submitted his name on the portal — an essential step in the typical transfer process.

By January, he still wasn't in the portal, as a dispute emerged over whether he was allowed to communicate with other programs. Miami had already been identified as a potential destination at that point, eventually igniting the recent lawsuit.

Dan Wetzel points out the core issue in the Wisconsin-Miami lawsuit

Dan Wetzel pointed out the core issue to be treated in the case. The analyst made it known that Wisconsin probably has an issue with Xavier Lucas and not Miami. As per Wetzel, Miami did break the rule, but the severity of it is in question.

“At issue here is Rule 13.1.1.3. — any athletic staff member or other representative of an institution’s athletics shall not communicate or make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA Division I institution or any individual associated, blah, blah, blah," Wetzel said (Timestamp: 21:25). “Based on the facts presented by Wisconsin, Miami certainly broke that rule. Now, that’s an NCAA rule. Is this really tortuous interference? I don’t know. What is an NIL contract worth? What is tampering? That’s really the issue.”

Over the years, tampering has become a major concern for coaches, largely due to the impact of NIL and the transfer portal. As such, the outcome of the legal battle is bound to have a profound impact on the lingering issue across the landscape.

Edited by Krutik Jain