Cincinnati sues Sorsby over $1M exit fee after Texas Tech transfer - ESPN

Cincinnati sued former quarterback Brendan Sorsby in federal court Wednesday, alleging he breached his NIL contract with the Bearcats when he refused to pay a $1 million exit fee after he transferred to Texas Tech.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, seeks $1 million in liquidated damages, which the school said Sorsby was contractually obligated to pay within 30 days of transferring.

In the complaint, Cincinnati's attorneys said the quarterback's representative «advised that Sorsby refuses to pay the University anything.»

Sorsby reportedly signed an NIL agreement with the Red Raiders that will pay him between $4 million and $6 million this season.

«In his lucrative NIL agreement with Cincinnati Athletics, Brendan Sorsby committed to stay and play for two seasons as a proud Bearcat representative,» the university said in a statement Wednesday. «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. As stewards of the university's resources, the Athletics Department has a duty to do so. We thank Brendan for his time at Cincinnati and wish him success in the future."

The lawsuit said that Sorsby signed an 18-month NIL contract with the Bearcats that covered the 2025 and 2026 seasons. It was set to expire on Dec. 15, 2026.

The university claims Sorsby notified the football team on Dec. 1 that he was done playing for the Bearcats and wouldn't compete in their postseason game against Navy in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2.

Sorsby entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2 and almost immediately signed an