Wisconsin lawsuit accuses Miami of in-person visit and offering Xavier Lucas financial commitment to leave Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers' lawsuit against the University of Miami lays out specifically how the Hurricanes allegedly tampered with cornerback Xavier Lucas.

Wisconsin Badgers On SI acquired a copy of the civil complaint, which lays out Wisconsin's full set of accusations against Miami.

The lawsuit accuses an unnamed Miami coach and a "prominent Miami alumnus" of making an in-person visit to the Florida home of one of Lucas' relatives while he was still enrolled with the Badgers.

The complaint does not make clear whether Lucas was present for the in-person visit at his family member's house, but it does say that the information about the visit was communicated to Wisconsin by one of Lucas' relatives.

The suit also says Miami representatives gave Lucas "a compensation commitment" if he agreed to leave the school and play for the Hurricanes.

NEWS: In a landmark moment in college sports, the University of Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit against Miami for tampering, and eventually poaching, a college football player under contract (Xavier Lucas), per documents obtained by @YahooSports.https://t.co/KVYafcAdm5
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 20, 2025

The money Miami offered Lucas was more than what the Badgers had already agreed to pay him, according to the complaint.

The filing describes Lucas' existing NIL deal as "one of the most lucrative NIL financial commitments of any UW-Madison football player."

It also lays out how Lucas continued to show strong commitment to Wisconsin and returning for his sophomore season until an abrupt change of heart in mid-December of 2024, the same time the contact from Miami is alleged to have occurred.

In the lawsuit, Wisconsin is seeking damages in an amount to compensate it for the harm it suffered as a result of Miami's alleged tampering.

The Wisconsin athletic department released a statement about the lawsuit, noting that it "reluctantly" brought the case forward.

"The University of Wisconsin-Madison remains committed to ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics. After reviewing all facts and evaluating options, the university today filed a complaint in Wisconsin state court outlining our allegations against the University of Miami. While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field. In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community. We appreciate the support of our university leadership and the Big Ten Conference. As we move forward, we will respect the court process and provide further updates only as appropriate."
Wisconsin Athletics

The Big Ten also issued a statement supporting Wisconsin's legal action against Miami.

"The Big Ten Conference is aware of the litigation recently filed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison against the University of Miami and is supportive of UW-Madison’s position. As alleged, the University of Miami knowingly ignored contractual obligations and disregarded the principle of competitive equity that is fundamental to collegiate athletics. The Big Ten Conference believes that the University of Miami’s actions are irreconcilable with a sustainable college sports framework and is supportive of UW-Madison’s efforts to preserve it."
Big Ten Conference

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