After battling with the Wisconsin Badgers over the past month about entering his name into the transfer portal, after signing an agreement with the school regarding revenue-sharing, wide receiver Xavier Lucas has now withdrawn from school and enrolled at Miami. This has the makings to be one of the most groundbreaking moves we've seen in college athletics when it comes to how the transfer portal works, and could lead to significant changes in the future. This whole ordeal started when Xavier Lucas decided that he wanted to transfer out of Wisconsin, looking to find a school closer to home, in the eyes of the wide receiver. But there was a problem for Lucas, and it all centered around a two-year agreement he signed with the school that was tied to the upcoming revenue-sharing model that has yet to be approved by a judge, per his attorney, Darren Heitner. So, the school felt as if it had a financial agreement in place, and would not enter his name into the transfer portal database. If you aren’t familiar with how the portal works, the school is obligated to enter a player's name into the database once he or she has completed the proper paperwork needed to enter. As we have seen over the past few years, the transfer portal has continued to be one of the most talked about subjects in all of college athletics. Just this year, the rules committee decided to shorten the period of time in which the portal would be open, starting on December 9, and running through December 24. Players who are participating in the postseason are given a five-day extension once their season ends, which helped those still competing in the college football playoff. In the case of Xavier Lucas, he had submitted his paperwork on time, but the school stood firm on not entering his name into the database, because of a revenue-sharing agreement that both parties signed before Lucas tried to enter his name into the portal. The contract agreement at the middle of this dispute was a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that gives the school all rights pertaining to that player's name, image and likeness, meaning that Wisconsin, or any other school, could use his name for those purposes and Lucas would be paid in return. OutKick spoke with Darren Heitner, who represents Xavier Lucas in this matter about the agreement. "The memorandum of understanding is conditioned on approval of the House settlement (which has yet to receive final approval) and Xavier attending classes no later than Spring 2025 (he has un-enrolled from the Institution)," Heitner noted. "Furthermore, he sought to enter his name into the Transfer Portal, but the Institution improperly denied his right to do so, which is a violation of NCAA rules. That notwithstanding, the Institution has not paid any monies to him and so he owes no reimbursement to the Institution." It was also noted by Heitner that the father of Xavier Lucas is currently dealing with a health issue that led to the former Badger wanting to move closer to home. In short, the school and Xavier Lucas agreed to a deal that is not currently legal, because the House v NCAA settlement has not been approved via a judge.
CONTINUE READING