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Duke athletics was granted a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, Jan. 21, in its case against quarterback Darian Mensah.
The temporary restraining order bars Mensah from enrolling at another institution, playing football at another institution, licensing his NIL to another institution or taking any actions that would violate or undermine his contract with Duke. It does not prevent Mensah from entering the transfer portal.
Mensah entered the portal on Jan. 16, the final day of its two-week open period and just a month after he formerly pledged his commitment to Duke in 2026 after rumors swirled he'd enter the NFL Draft. Multiple reports have linked Mensah to Miami since his portal entry.
The temporary restraining order, entered by Judge Michael O’Foghludha, comes after Duke's lawsuit against Mensah filed on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Duke is suing the quarterback for breach of a multi-year contract he signed in July 2025, set to run through Dec. 31, 2026. In the agreement, Duke provided Mensah substantial payments in exchange for "a license to certain NIL rights," of Mensah. In return, Mensah agreed he would not enroll at or compete in athletics for another institution during the contract term, amongst other things.
The parties also agreed that a Mensah breach of the contract “shall cause Duke irreparable harm for which there is no adequate remedy at law and, in the event of any such breach, Duke shall be entitled to injunctive or other equitable relief.”
The temporary restraining order is intended to preserve the "status quo" while the university seeks a preliminary injunction and arbitration proceedings regarding the contract continue. It will remain in effect until the preliminary injunction hearing, set for Monday, Feb. 2 at the Durham County Courthouse. Judge Ed Wilson is now presiding over the case as O’Foghludha, a Duke basketball season ticket holder, recused himself from the case.
Duke released a statement to Yahoo Sports earlier on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
DUKE VS MENSAH: Duke files lawsuit against quarterback Darian Mensah in effort to block transfer
DUKE QB ROOM: What Duke football's QB room looks like after Darian Mensah's transfer
“Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, and we expect he will do the same," the statement read. "The court-ordered temporary restraining order (TRO) issued yesterday ensures he does not violate his contract. The university is committed to supporting all of our student-athletes, while expecting each of them to abide by their contractual obligations.”
Mensah's attorney, Darren Heitner, said in email to the Fayetteville Observer on Wednesday that the TRO "is what we expected," referring back to comments he made on X, formerly Twitter, on Jan. 20.
"The status quo should not have been accepted, particularly given that students must have freedom to enroll and unenroll wherever they please," Heitner wrote. "That said, we are confident justice will ultimately prevail and are happy that Mensah is at least not enjoined from being entered into the transfer portal."
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke Athletics granted temporary restraining order against QB Darian Mensah
Continue reading...
The temporary restraining order bars Mensah from enrolling at another institution, playing football at another institution, licensing his NIL to another institution or taking any actions that would violate or undermine his contract with Duke. It does not prevent Mensah from entering the transfer portal.
Mensah entered the portal on Jan. 16, the final day of its two-week open period and just a month after he formerly pledged his commitment to Duke in 2026 after rumors swirled he'd enter the NFL Draft. Multiple reports have linked Mensah to Miami since his portal entry.
The temporary restraining order, entered by Judge Michael O’Foghludha, comes after Duke's lawsuit against Mensah filed on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Duke is suing the quarterback for breach of a multi-year contract he signed in July 2025, set to run through Dec. 31, 2026. In the agreement, Duke provided Mensah substantial payments in exchange for "a license to certain NIL rights," of Mensah. In return, Mensah agreed he would not enroll at or compete in athletics for another institution during the contract term, amongst other things.
The parties also agreed that a Mensah breach of the contract “shall cause Duke irreparable harm for which there is no adequate remedy at law and, in the event of any such breach, Duke shall be entitled to injunctive or other equitable relief.”
The temporary restraining order is intended to preserve the "status quo" while the university seeks a preliminary injunction and arbitration proceedings regarding the contract continue. It will remain in effect until the preliminary injunction hearing, set for Monday, Feb. 2 at the Durham County Courthouse. Judge Ed Wilson is now presiding over the case as O’Foghludha, a Duke basketball season ticket holder, recused himself from the case.
Duke released a statement to Yahoo Sports earlier on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
DUKE VS MENSAH: Duke files lawsuit against quarterback Darian Mensah in effort to block transfer
DUKE QB ROOM: What Duke football's QB room looks like after Darian Mensah's transfer
“Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, and we expect he will do the same," the statement read. "The court-ordered temporary restraining order (TRO) issued yesterday ensures he does not violate his contract. The university is committed to supporting all of our student-athletes, while expecting each of them to abide by their contractual obligations.”
Mensah's attorney, Darren Heitner, said in email to the Fayetteville Observer on Wednesday that the TRO "is what we expected," referring back to comments he made on X, formerly Twitter, on Jan. 20.
"The status quo should not have been accepted, particularly given that students must have freedom to enroll and unenroll wherever they please," Heitner wrote. "That said, we are confident justice will ultimately prevail and are happy that Mensah is at least not enjoined from being entered into the transfer portal."
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke Athletics granted temporary restraining order against QB Darian Mensah
Continue reading...
