Kansas fans duped into believing Darryn Peterson has wildest clause in his NIL contract

Kansas fans were briefly duped this week by a fake social media post claiming star freshman Darryn Peterson had a controversial clause in his NIL contract.

“Darryn Peterson has a clause in his NIL contract that states he can sub out of any game if he’s visibly broken a sweat and Kansas leads by 15 or more points,” a fabricated post attributed to a user named Scott Hughes on X read. The post added, “Peterson has no known medical conditions.”

The claim quickly circulated among frustrated fans already questioning Peterson’s availability. But the falsehood gained traction because of growing scrutiny surrounding Peterson’s playing time. 

The projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft has appeared in 15 of Kansas’ 26 games this season while dealing with quad cramping, a hamstring strain and an ankle injury. He also was a late scratch against No. 1 Arizona with flu-like symptoms. In Wednesday’s 81-69 victory over Oklahoma State, Peterson scored a team-high 23 points but did not play the final 17:22. It marked the third time this season he exited a game early.

More: Ernie Johnson makes personal announcement before March Madness

Kansas coach Bill Self called getting just 18 minutes from Peterson “disappointing,” underscoring the tension as the Jayhawks remain in the Big 12 title hunt.

The fake post may have been fiction, but it tapped into real unease among Jayhawks fans trying to understand the new NIL era and wondering when their star will be consistently available.

More college basketball news:

• Adrian Autry buyout, contract details as Syracuse Orange coach
• Bruce Pearl sends warning to NBA teams about Kansas' Darryn Peterson
• AJ Dybantsa makes college basketball history never done by NBA stars
• John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix
• Texas Tech's March Madness hopes take major hit with JT Toppin injury