Duke Lawsuit Tests Whether NIL Deals Can Block Transfers (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Well, this could change college sports forever. Duke University is suing their star quarterback, who just led the new ACC title, Darian Mensah, to block him from entering the transfer portal. Yes, that's right. A school is trying to sue its own player to keep him from leaving. This all comes after Mensah announced in December he was returning to Duke, but then last week said he wants to leave and re-enter the transfer portal. Now, Duke says Mensah's reported multi-year $4 million NIL contract means he can't just transfer and violate the terms of his agreement. Despite the fact a judge denied an emergency restraining order request by Duke, Mensah's attorney says the quarterback currently cannot enroll to play at another school until the court rules. This is the latest test of a huge question in college sports. Are players employees or can they be free agents? Can these NIL deals lock in players like pro contracts do? Well, if Duke wins, schools will certainly gain more power. If Mensah wins, it seems like players can move to any school whenever they want.