College football star finally ends messy contract dispute after being hit with a restraining order by his team
Duke and college football quarterback Darian Mensah have reached a ‘fair and mutually agreeable resolution’ in their drawn-out bitter legal dispute.
The school had attempted to block the 21-year-old’s plans to transfer and reach a contract with another school to play elsewhere next season, suing him in Durham County Superior Court last week.
However, the two parties reached a settlement on Tuesday, the school and player’s agency announced, No further details of the deal were disclosed.
The case was scheduled for a hearing Thursday in Durham County Superior Court.
The agreement has now ended the contract dispute, paving the way for Mensah to leave Duke for an expected transfer to Miami, according to Pete Thamel.
Mensah, who transferred from Tulane and led the Blue Devils to an unexpected Atlantic Coast Conference title last month, had signed a two-season contract in July 2025 running through 2026 that paid him for exclusive rights to market his name, image and likeness tied to playing college football.
Duke and college football quarterback Darian Mensah have settled their legal dispute
The school had attempted to block block the 21-year-old’s plans to transfer by suing him
Duke had attempted to block Mensah from entering his name into the transfer portal at all, as well as taking additional steps in the process of enrolling to play at another school.
A judge granted Duke´s request for the TRO, first verbally in a Tuesday hearing and then with a written order a day later, in an effort to ‘preserve the status quo’ until the next hearing.
That meant Mensah could enter his name into the transfer portal, but couldn´t take additional steps such as enrolling elsewhere and reaching a deal to play football.
Duke had argued that the contract required parties to go through arbitration before any dispute can be resolved.
‘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 school said in a statement on Tuesday.
‘Enforcing those 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 from Tulane and led the Blue Devils to an unexpected ACC title last month
Young Money APAA Sports, which represents Mensah, said the agency had ‘successfully navigated an unprecedented path, one that has now reached a fair and mutually agreeable resolution.’
‘Darian extends his sincere gratitude to Duke University for engaging in good-faith discussions and reaching this resolution,’ the agency said in a social media post. ‘He wishes the Blue Devils, Coach (Manny) Diaz, the staff and the entire fan base continued success in the seasons ahead.
‘The 2025 ACC championship run will forever stand as a remarkable chapter in Duke football history, one Darian is proud to have been part of.’
Mensah finished second in the Bowl Subdivision ranks by throwing for 3,973 yards while ranking tied for second with 34 passing touchdowns.
