Duke reaches a settlement with star quarterback Darian Mensah that will allow him to transfer, ending an unprecedented saga

By Dana O’Neil, CNN

(CNN) — Duke quarterback Darian Mensah is free to go.

The second-team All-ACC quarterback has reached a settlement with the university that will allow Mensah to transfer elsewhere, his representatives and Duke said in separate statements.

Mensah, who led the Blue Devils to their first ACC championship since 1962, declared his intention to enter the transfer portal on January 16 but Duke filed a lawsuit on January 20, arguing that Mensah had broken his contract with the school. The two sides were scheduled for a preliminary injunction hearing on January 29.

Instead the two sides have reached an undisclosed settlement.

“Through close collaboration and principled negotiation, we have successfully navigated an unprecedented path, one that has now reached a fair and agreeable solution,’’ Mensah’s agency, Young Money APAA Sports, said in its statement.

While Duke acknowledged the settlement, the school stood firm on its principles.

“We are committed to fulfilling all promises and obligations Duke makes to our student-athletes when we enter into contractual agreements with them, and we expect the same in return,’’ the athletic department said in a statement.

“Enforcing these agreements is a necessary element of ensuring predictability and structure for athletic programs. It is nonetheless a difficult choice to pursue legal action against a student and teammate; for this reason we sought to resolve the matter fairly and quickly.’’

Mensah transferred to Duke from Tulane, signing to a lucrative NIL deal that Duke said in its lawsuit extended through December of this year. Mensah threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns this season and led Duke to a victory in the Sun Bowl. Despite pledging his loyalty in an Instagram post as recently as December, Mensah reversed course and declared his decision to transfer on the last day the portal was open.

A reported front-running suitor: ACC rival Miami, which is shopping for a quarterback now that Carson Beck is out of eligibility.

Duke, however, pushed back and filed the suit in Durham County Superior Court, arguing that Mensah had violated his agreement by “disclosing its monetary terms, seeking to license his NIL in football to another institution, seeking his enrollment at another institutions … and/or acting in a way that has now harmed his image and the image of Duke University by ignoring the terms and conditions of his contract.’’

Athletes’ contracts have been a bone of contention since the House settlement. Coaches and administrators have argued that they should be binding but that idea runs square into the freedom of the transfer portal, which allow athletes to swap schools without penalty.

“Contracts mean something,’’ Duke wrote in its lawsuit, contending that Mensah should be required to at least go through the arbitration process as written in his deal.

A judge later denied Duke’s request to keep Mensah out of the portal but he still was not able to enroll at another school until the legal process was completed.

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