College Football got its most sensational headline since Xavier Lucas’s controversy last year when Demond Williams entered the portal. The sophomore QB’s decision came just two days after signing a “top of the market” contract with Washington. The Huskies have threatened legal action. But a prominent attorney has ruled out that possibility.

“First and foremost. Washington cannot force Demond Williams to play football there,” Michelle said in her January 7 video on X. “Nobody in the United States can force anybody else to actually do work. It technically violates the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits involuntary servitude, so that can’t happen here.

The second thing you need to know is. This contract is probably not an actual pay-for-play. It seems like it was a media rights contract, and if it was modeled off the contract at issue and the Xavier Lucas dispute. So, there’s absolutely nothing in there requiring him to play football in the first instance or seemingly prohibiting him from playing anywhere else,” Michelle added.

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that Washington officials have described Williams’ contract as “legally binding” and are planning to “pursue legal avenues.” The Big 10 is also in the mix and can present a two-front coalition against the QB. While that possibility is there, Michelle’s take is grounded in legal reality. Notably, she is a prominent lawyer with over 101k followers on X, including figures such as Lane Kiffin.

For now, Washington is accusing teams of tampering and intends to present “evidence” for the same. Williams’ transfer portal decision was also scrutinized since the player has a “no contact” tag on the portal. That signaled that the QB already had a destination chalked out, making matters worse. All of this will likely lead to an ugly legal battle, even if it results in Washington’s failure.

As of now, no legal precedents exist regarding Williams’ controversial exit. As a result, the legal battle may serve as a catalyst for college football’s enforcement of contracts and potentially usher in a new era. Considering the current state of affairs, Washington can at most obtain an injunction to prevent another school from approaching Williams. However, that too is rather unlikely and remote. Here’s why.

Washington also can’t stop Demond Williams from joining another program

The school would reportedly need a provision in the contract that would allow the parties to agree on injunctive relief. Since college football is still treated under the umbrella of amateurism, the presence of such a clause seems illogical. Regardless, if the clause is even there, it’s unlikely that the court will stop a 19-year-old athlete from pursuing career growth.

“Even if you have an employment contract that says you can’t work for a competitor, courts are really reluctant to prevent people from working to prevent grown adults from working,” Michelle added. “I just think it’s really unlikely that a court is going to look at a 19-year-old student athlete and say to them,. Nope, absolutely not.”

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Even if one treats Xavier Lucas’ case as a precedent, the facts are very different. Lucas transferred from Wisconsin without entering the transfer portal, despite having a two-year revenue-sharing contract. Furthermore, the lawsuit didn’t include Lucas as a party, and it mainly focused on tampering allegations against Miami and seeking damages from the program.

In Demond Williams’ case, another program might be a party, but he will almost certainly be a defendant if Washington goes to court. With recourse unlikely for Washington against Williams, the Huskies’ best option is to sue his next destination. Currently, LSU is trending to be the first choice for the QB, and the program has no scholarship QBs with them as of yet. However, it remains to be seen how the dispute will unfold going forward.