Florida Atlantic University is taking four of its former football players to court, demanding they return thousands of dollars in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) funds after leaving the program.
According to court documents filed on May 18 in the Palm Beach County Circuit Court, the university is suing student-athletes Asaad Waseem, Tyler Stolsky, Zion Paret, and Gemari Sands. The legal action aims to “recoup tens of thousands of dollars” that FAU claims it is owed due to transfer-related breaches of contract.
Under the terms of FAU’s NIL agreements, athletes who transfer before their contracts expire must pay a penalty. The contract stipulates that a departing player “must pay half of the remaining money they would have been owed under the contract.”
This penalty is categorized as liquidated damages, and the university retains the right to pursue “all other remedies and damages available, including injunctive relief.”
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The specific financial details for each player vary:
- Asaad Waseem: The wide receiver, who has since transferred to Purdue, originally signed a $69,000 contract. The deal paid $3,000 monthly for the first three months before bumping up to $5,000 monthly for the final year.
- Tyler Stolsky: The linebacker, now at West Virginia, initially received $12,000 distributed in $2,000 monthly increments. FAU later updated his contract to a $45,000 deal, setting up $3,000 monthly payments through December 2026.
- Zion Paret: Now playing for the University of Connecticut, Paret had a $30,000 agreement with FAU that paid out $2,000 a month through December 2026.
- Gemari Sands: The running back, who transferred to Florida State, initially made $1,000 a month in late 2025. FAU restructured his deal on December 31, raising his licensing fee to $18,000 with $1,500 monthly payments starting in January.
FAU is not alone in using the legal system to enforce NIL contracts as the transfer portal reshapes college sports. Several other major programs have filed similar lawsuits this year to recover funds from departing players.
In February, the University of Cincinnati launched a lawsuit against quarterback Brendan Sorsby for refusing to pay a $1 million exit fee after he transferred to Texas Tech. More recently, the University of Oregon filed a lawsuit in May against defensive back Dakota Fields to recover $10,000.
Duke University also took legal action against quarterback Darian Mensah over his transfer to the transfer portal to join the University of Miami, a case settled in January.
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