01/21/26 03:17:00
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01/21 15:15 CST Judge grants Duke's bid to block QB Darian Mensah's transfer
until Feb. 2 hearing in contract fight
Judge grants Duke's bid to block QB Darian Mensah's transfer until Feb. 2
hearing in contract fight
By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer
A judge has granted Duke's request for a temporary restraining order blocking
quarterback Darian Mensah from enrolling to play football at another school
until a court hearing set for early February.
The school filed a lawsuit Monday in Durham County Superior Court against
Mensah seeking to block his efforts to transfer and reach a contract with
another school to play elsewhere next season. The complaint came three days
after Mensah reversed his previously announced plan to return to the Blue
Devils after leading them to the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Judge Michael O'Foghludha signed an order Wednesday that prevents Mensah from
enrolling elsewhere, signing a licensing deal with another school or taking any
other action breaching the two-season contract Mensah signed with Duke running
through 2026.
The order, formalizing a verbal ruling from Tuesday's hearing, didn't grant
Duke's additional request seeking to block Mensah from entering his name into
the transfer portal entirely. But he otherwise can't take additional steps in
the process of reaching a deal to play at a new school, with the order designed
to "preserve the status quo" until a Feb. 2 hearing.
"Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to
honor, and we expect he will do the same," Duke said in a statement Wednesday.
"The court-ordered temporary restraining order issued (Tuesday) ensures he does
not violate his contract. The university is committed to supporting all our
student-athletes, while expecting each of them to abide by their contractual
obligations."
The school argued its contract with Mensah --- signed in July 2025 --- paid him
for exclusive rights to market Mensah's name, image and likeness (NIL) tied to
playing college football. Duke's lawsuit argued that the contract requires
parties to go through arbitration before any dispute can be resolved.
"This case arises out of the decision of a star quarterback in the increasingly
complex world of college athletics," the complaint states in its opening. "But
at its core, this is a simple case that involves the integrity of contracts."
In an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday, sports-law attorney Darren
Heitner, who has worked with Mensah, noted Duke's request for a temporary
restraining order preventing Mensah from entering the transfer portal had been
denied. Later in the day, however, Heitner said on social media that Mensah "is
not, for the time being" allowed to enroll or play football elsewhere before a
decision by a different judge set to preside over the next hearing.
Mensah, who transferred in from Tulane and even faced his former team, finished
second in the Bowl Subdivision ranks by throwing for 3,973 yards while ranking
tied for second with 34 passing touchdowns.
The Mensah-Duke case is the latest in what is becoming a more frequent
occurrence in the revenue-sharing era of college sports: legal fights over
contracts between schools and players seeking to transfer.
Earlier this month, Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. announced plans
to transfer before changing his mind two days later, coming amid multiple
reports that the school was prepared to pursue legal options to enforce
Williams' NIL contract.
And in December, Missouri pass rusher Damon Wilson II filed a lawsuit claiming
the athletic department at Georgia was trying to illegally punish him for
entering the portal in January 2025.
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