Darian Mensah shocked much of the college football world when he entered the transfer portal hours before it closed on Friday, Jan. 16, leaving behind Duke and a lucrative name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with the school after just one season.

The Blue Devils aren’t letting him exit without a fight.

The university is seeking an injunction and restraining order in Durham County (North Carolina) Superior Court that would effectively prohibit Mensah from leaving the program. Reigning national runner-up Miami, which is looking to replace outgoing quarterback Carson Beck, is widely presumed to be Mensah’s preferred destination.

A redshirt sophomore, Mensah transferred to the Blue Devils from Tulane after the 2024 season, signing a two-year contract worth a reported $8 million. In its lawsuit, Duke said the deal grants the school exclusive rights to Mensah’s name, image and likeness “with respect to higher education and football” and that the university has “met all of its obligations under that contract.”

Mensah had announced on Dec. 19 that he was returning to the Blue Devils rather than entering the 2026 NFL Draft.

“Contracts mean something,” the introduction of the lawsuit states. “Mensah’s actions violate numerous provisions of his contract with Duke University and disregard his promises and obligations to the University. And, as Mensah agreed when he signed his contract, such breaches cause Duke irreparable harm for which there is no adequate remedy at law and, in the event of any such breach, Duke is entitled to injunctive or other equitable relief.”

Mensah’s attorney, Darren Heitner, said in a statement to the Fayetteville Observer, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the judge denied Duke’s request that Mensah be enjoined from entering the transfer portal.

‘This morning, the judge ruled from the bench, pending a written ruling, denying Duke’s request that Mensah be enjoined from entering the transfer portal,’ Heitner wrote. ‘The judge, a Duke basketball season ticket holder, and thus a booster, also recused himself from future proceedings.’

Heitner, who has previously represented and advised other college athletes, is an adjunct professor of NIL at the University of Miami School of Law.

In his first and potentially only season at Duke, Mensah threw for 3,973 yards — the second-highest mark among FBS quarterbacks — 34 touchdowns and six interceptions while helping lead the Blue Devils to their first-ever ACC championship game victory.

Duke claims in the lawsuit that Mensah had promised in his contract with the university that he wouldn’t enroll at another college or compete in athletics at another school. Additionally, the lawsuit states that Mensah that his representatives and hisfamily members would not “initiate contact with admission or athletics staffs at otherinstitutions’ and that he would notify Duke within 48 hours of any contact with officials or representatives of another college.

The New York Knicks have hit a rough patch.

After they were blown out at home Monday, Jan. 19 by a middling Dallas Mavericks team – marking their fourth consecutive loss and ninth in 11 games – team captain Jalen Brunson called a players-only meeting to sort through their struggles, according to ESPN.

Per the report, Brunson challenged his teammates to uncover solutions for their poor play, rather than to wait and defer to the coaching staff.

This came after the Knicks were booed at home Monday night, down by as many as 30 points. New York would lose 114-97, and it was the offense that once again let the Knicks down. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 44 points, but the rest of New York’s starters (Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges) contributed only 24 points.

“I mean, I’d be booing us, too,” Brunson told reporters after the game. “Straight up.”

The Knicks began the year with promise, jumping to the No. 2 seed and winning the NBA Cup in mid-December. Once the new year began, however, the team has struggled to find consistent offense, with the ball stagnating; in January, the Knicks have scored 109.4 points per 100 possessions, which ranks 26th in the NBA.

“We’ve got to lock in,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said Monday night after the loss. “We’ve got to do our job for 48 minutes. They scored 75 points in the first half. And at halftime, we usually (show) the clips and talk about technical Xs and Os and crap that coaches do and teams do. There was nothing to be said at halftime, except ‘Lock in and do your (expletive) job,’ excuse me on that.”

Brown pointed out how the Mavericks scored 39 points in the second half, compared to 44 in just the second quarter.

“It’s within our guys,” Brown said. “But we all have to do our job for 48 minutes.”

The Knicks (25-18) are still third in the Eastern Conference, and they have the chance to course correct against crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Nets (12-29) on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga finally was called off the bench and into action during a 145-127 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center on Tuesday night.

On the second night of a back-to-back — with the Warriors now having to go forward without Jimmy Butler, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear Monday night — head coach Steve Kerr said he would look more toward his bench depth, including Kuminga who hadn’t played in 16 games due to a coach’s decision.

Kuminga received a roar from the Chase Center crowd when he subbed into the game to start the second quarter of the contest.

He finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes. He added five rebounds and two assists. Teammate Buddy Hield led the team in scoring with 25 points off then bench, including a perfect 6-of-6 from deep, in 19 minutes of play.

“JK [Kuminga] been a factor in here,’ head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. ‘Really pleased with the way he’s stayed ready and stayed prepared, and he got his opportunity and played really well.”

With Butler out, Kerr said that he would tinker with different lineups on various ‘trial and error’ runs. Kerr told USA TODAY that it’s possible Kuminga could even jolt into the starting role.

‘Everything’s a possibility right now,’ Kerr said. “When you have an injury to, not only one of your best players but one of the best players in the league, it just changes everything. The puzzle completely changes. So we will definitely experiment with some different lineups and combinations. One guy effects the other four and so it will be under consideration, for sure.”

How did Jonathan Kuminga play?

The Warriors were down 41-28 after the first quarter before Kuminga was subbed into the game to start the second period.

In his first stint, a little under five minutes, Kuminga missed his only shot attempt: An alley-oop tip-in on a pass from Draymond Green. He was fouled but missed both free throws. He managed to grab two rebounds in his limited action.

His plus/minus was a minus-10 in four minutes and 39 seconds of playing time.

Golden State is looking for a spark from their bench depth after Butler was lost for the season with a torn ACL.

Kerr said after the Warriors’ win over the Miami Heat that Kuminga could see the floor following Butler’s devastating injury.

‘Sure, absolutely,’ Kerr said responding to a question about Kuminga playing against Toronto.

Warriors trailed 91-63 when Kuminga returned to the game at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter.

He scored 12 points in the period, throwing down a ferocious two-handed slam off an alley-oop pass from Green, a couple of mid-range shots through contact and going the length of the court to make a buzzer-beating layup to end the third.

Golden State trailed 108-94 at the end of three quarters. Kuminga played the remainder of the quarter since subbing in at the 6:12 mark and was a plus-4 after the period.

Kuminga played the entire fourth quarter as his play continued to help the Warriors to cut into that huge double-digit deficit. It was cut to as low as 11 points.

However, the Raptors ran the score back up late and held on to win the game.

The Raptors were led by Immanuel Quickley tied a career-high 40 points to lead all scorers in the game. He shot 11-of-13 from the field, including 7-of-8 from 3-pointers and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line.

Jonathan Kuminga’s future with Warriors

With the NBA trade deadline looming on Feb. 5, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. spoke to reporters before Monday night’s game, expressing disappointment in losing Butler to injury.

‘He was having a great year and obviously that’s over now. So we’re disappointed as a team, as an organization but most especially individually for Jimmy,’ Dunleavy said. ‘He’s been so much to this organization since he got here. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t even been here a year. He’s fit in so well, we hate it for him. But the beat goes on, we have to keep going.’

There are questions about whether Kuminga can become a focal point of the team’s rotation or is still a key trade component. Kuminga reportedly requested for a trade from Golden State last week.

‘I think as far as the demand, I’m aware of that,’ Dunleavy said. ‘I think in terms of demands, for you to make a demand there needs to be a demand in the market. So we’ll see where that goes.’

He added: ‘Always with these guys I tell them I’m willing to work with them. I want to help people out, whether that’s JK [Kuminga] or any player on our roster. I’m good with [it], if that’s his wishes, trying to figure that out but we have to do what’s best for our organization and that’s as far as it goes.’

However, Dunleavy said with the deadline coming up, he will take the time to evaluate the team.

‘I felt pretty good with where we’re at ending last night’s game in terms of what we need to do. Thought our team was playing well, heading in the right direction,’ Dunleavy said. ‘Obviously things have changed so I wanna take a couple weeks here to watch these games and see our team and what we can do better.’

Dunleavy still holds Kuminga in high regard and believes he can be an asset as a member of the Warriors, and not just a trade piece.

‘He’s available every night. I think there’s a path and a way for him to help us win games,’ Dunleavy said. ‘He knows what that is. If he can do those things, there’s no doubt if he can help us.’

He added: ‘Disappointed it hasn’t worked out better, but it is what it is. But there’s still time left here. He’s still on our roster. The trade’s been requested but nothing’s imminent. Things in this league change in a heartbeat as they did [against Miami].’

Jonathan Kuminga 2025-26 regular-season stats

Here are Kuminga’s average statistics so far though the 2025-26 regular season, prior to Tuesday’s game against the Raptors:

• Games played: 18
• Minutes: 24.8
• Points: 11.8
• Rebounds: 6.2
• Assists: 2.6
• Steals: 0.3
• Blocks: 0.3
• Field goal %: .431
• 3-point field goal %: .320
• Free throw %: .741

Jonathan Kuminga career stats

These are Kuminga’s career averages through five seasons in the NBA, prior to Tuesday’s game against the Raptors:

• Games played: 276
• Minutes: 22.2
• Points: 12.5
• Rebounds: 4.2
• Assists: 1.8
• Steals: 0.6
• Blocks: 0.4
• Field goal %: .502
• 3-point field goal %: .331
• Free throw %: .699

All eyes were on Fernando Mendoza on Monday as he warmed up on the field and prepared to lead the Indiana Hoosiers into the College Football Playoff national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. But there was one group in the building whose stakes in watching Mendoza were a bit higher than most.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and general manager John Spytek were spotted on the sideline by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, presumably to get one more in-game look at the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft (as predicted in USA TODAY’s latest mock draft). The Raiders, who finished the season with the worst record in the league at 4-13, hold that pick.

To remove any ambiguity that might have remained as to why they were there, minority owner Tom Brady was later seen standing alongside Davis and Spytek donning a silver hoodie with ‘Raiders’ printed in bold letters across his chest.

As explained in USA TODAY’s latest mock draft, Mendoza has virtually no competition for the top spot in the draft, even less so now that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore decided to stay in school for another year. The Raiders have been in dire need of a signal caller ever since parting ways with Derek Carr at the end of the 2022 season, so it seems all but inevitable that Mendoza will be getting a call from the Las Vegas brass this spring.

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