Duke University sued its star quarterback, Darian Mensah, on Tuesday, alleging that he had agreed to stay in Durham before he made a last-minute announcement that he would explore transfer opportunities.
Mensah, the second-team all-ACC signal caller who led Duke to its first outright conference football title since 1962, stunned the school last week when he announced he'd be transferring. Enrolling and playing for another school would allow him to license his name, image and likeness to that school in an agreement that could mean more money for Mensah than what he is getting with the Blue Devils.
The school had announced Dec. 20 that Mensah was staying for at least another football season.
On Tuesday, he was still listed on the school's 2026 football roster as a redshirt junior, meaning he'd have two more seasons of college eligibility.
Duke and Mensah agreed to a "multi-year contract" in July that runs through Dec. 31, 2026, according to the school's lawsuit, filed in Durham County Superior Court.
"Duke has met all of its obligations under that contract," the school's complaint said. "As recently as December 2025, Mensah affirmed his commitment to Duke University."
Mensah announced this departure on the last day to enter the transfer portal, "as if his obligations to Duke University do not exist," the university said in its suit.
Representatives for Mensah could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
The lawsuit includes Mensah’s contract with the school, though payment amounts were redacted.
Mensah's situation bears some resemblance to the awkward relationship between the University of Washington and its star QB, Demond Williams Jr.
Williams is alleged to have agreed to a new multimillion-dollar name, image and likeness agreement to stay in Seattle before he reversed course to enter the transfer portal.
The about-face was particularly acrimonious as Williams announced his planned departure the day the school was holding a memorial for Mia Hamant, a goalkeeper for the Huskies women’s soccer team, who died in November.
The school reportedly threatened legal action before Williams announced he was staying and apologized for the timing of his planned departure.
And 16 months ago, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, starting quarterback Matthew Sluka quit his 3-0 team, claiming financial commitments to him went unfulfilled.
UNLV and its collective, Friends of UNLV, pushed back against his allegations.
Sluka left Las Vegas with his final year of eligibility intact. He landed at James Madison, where he was a backup for the No. 19 Dukes, throwing 11 passes all year.
