The Cincinnati Bearcats are taking legal action against quarterback Brendan Sorsby after he transferred to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The team seeks $1 million for an exit fee.
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According to ESPN, Cincinnati filed a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday and alleged that Sorsby breached his NIL contract when he transferred to Texas Tech and refused to pay the exit fee.
The university said in its lawsuit that Sorsby's contract obligated him to pay this fee within 30 days of transferring to another school. Cincinnati also alleges that the quarterback's representative "advised" him to refuse to pay the university anything.
"Cincinnati Athletics is proud to partner with its student-athletes and honors the contractual commitments it makes to them. We expect student-athletes and their representatives to do the same," the university said in a statement.
"In his lucrative NIL agreement with Cincinnati Athletics, Brendan Sorsby committed to stay and play for two seasons as a proud Bearcat representative.
"He also agreed that if he left the university before that time, he would pay the university a specific amount for the substantial harm that his breach would cause. Cincinnati Athletics intends to enforce that contractual commitment."
Sorsby started his collegiate career with Indiana, but he spent most of the last two seasons with the Bearcats. He appeared in 24 combined games while throwing for 5,613 yards and 45 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He did not play in the team's postseason game against Navy on Jan. 2, the same day he entered the transfer portal.
Sorsby's agent, Ron Slavin, also released a statement in wake of the lawsuit. He said that the quarterback parted ways with the "university in a mutually agreeable manner" and that this pursuit of the exit fee is an unlawful penalty under Ohio law.
"Pursuing legal action against Brendan Sorsby is misguided," Slavin said. "University of Cincinnati, through its revenue-share structure, paid him $875,800 for a season he fully completed, and in that time, he generated millions in value for the program."
This battle will continue in court now that Slavin has confirmed Sorsby will "aggressively" defend himself against the lawuit. It will also continue on the football field. Texas Tech will visit Cincinnati for a game on Oct. 24.
