Cincinnati has initiated legal proceedings against former quarterback Brendan Sorsby, alleging that he violated his Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) contract by not paying a $1 million exit fee following his transfer to Texas Tech.
The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The university seeks $1 million in liquidated damages, claiming that Sorsby was contractually required to pay this amount within 30 days after his transfer. According to the complaint, Sorsby”s representative informed the university that he “refuses to pay the University anything.”
Reportedly, Sorsby has signed a new NIL agreement with the Red Raiders that is expected to yield between $4 million and $6 million for the current season. Cincinnati stated, “In his lucrative NIL agreement with Cincinnati Athletics, Brendan Sorsby committed to stay and play for two seasons as a proud Bearcat representative.” The university added that if he departed before fulfilling that commitment, he would owe a specific amount due to the significant harm caused by his breach.
The lawsuit indicates that Sorsby had entered into an 18-month NIL contract with the Bearcats, which was meant to cover the 2025 and 2026 seasons and was scheduled to end on December 15, 2026. The university asserts that Sorsby notified the football team on December 1 of his decision to stop playing for the Bearcats, opting out of participating in their postseason game against Navy in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2. He subsequently entered the transfer portal on January 2 and quickly signed an NIL deal with Texas Tech.
Moreover, the lawsuit claims that Sorsby breached his NIL agreement by allowing his image to be displayed on a prominent digital billboard in New York”s Times Square, announcing his commitment to Texas Tech. Sorsby, a senior from Denton, Texas, was among the top-rated quarterbacks in the transfer portal. After spending his first two seasons at Indiana, he played the last two seasons at Cincinnati, completing 61.6% of his passes for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 2025. He also rushed for 580 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the Bearcats to a 7-5 finish.
Cincinnati contends that despite having paid Sorsby a substantial amount during the previous season, it did so with the expectation of reaping significant benefits during the 2026 season, as Sorsby”s skills developed and his brand grew. The lawsuit further states, “Despite the clear contractual obligation to do so, and despite his ability to pay, Sorsby still has not paid the University the $1 million in liquidated damages he agreed to pay.” The university expressed that Sorsby has greatly benefited from the NIL agreement and the university”s efforts to promote him as a leading collegiate quarterback. Cincinnati now aims to enforce its contractual rights and recover the amount Sorsby owes.
This is not the first instance of a college athletics program suing a former player for damages related to an NIL contract after a transfer. In December, Georgia filed a lawsuit against former edge rusher Damon Wilson for $390,000 after he transferred to Missouri following the 2024 season, seeking arbitration to resolve the matter. Wilson countered with a lawsuit in a Missouri court, claiming that Georgia had improperly enforced a liquidated damages clause against him for entering the portal. Wilson eventually transferred to Miami in January after one season with the Tigers. Similarly, Duke officials took legal action against former quarterback Darian Mensah on January 20, attempting to prevent his transfer to Miami while enforcing his multi-year NIL contract with the Blue Devils. The parties reached an undisclosed settlement on January 27, permitting Mensah to join the Hurricanes.
