Ex-Ohio State star makes stance clear on Wisconsin's historic lawsuit against Miami

As the days go by, inching closer to the start of the 2025-26 college football season, an off-the-field topic remains undoubtedly the biggest talking point of the sport.

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective filed a lawsuit last week against the University of Miami, alleging that they tampered with cornerback Xavier Lucas. It's a historic moment in the fast-moving nature of NIL and college football, as the ruling may cause a major shift in the landscape of NIL and player movement moving forward.

In the week since, college football analysts and talking heads have voiced their opinions on the issue. Former players have done so as well, with the latest being former Ohio State linebacker and 2014 national champion Joshua Perry.

He shared his thoughts during an episode of NBC Sports' Rushing the Field podcast.

"I feel like the tampering issue is one that everybody talks about," he said. "Everybody's also doing it. But there's not really been anything that has been done about it. Coaches whine, administrators whine, but everybody still participates as it is."

He continued, looking ahead to the future and referencing the power it will take for the lawsuit to come to fruition.

"I'm very curious what the outcome is here because that will be kind of the precedent moving forward when you have these agreements signed and this type of situation happens. Now, I'm glad to see it. I'm also glad that the Big Ten is backing this because I think you have to have that weight behind you."

Perry was a key piece on Ohio State's national championship team in 2014, leading the Buckeyes with 124 tackles. He finished top 10 in the Big Ten for total tackles in back-to-back seasons, earning All-Big Ten honors in both seasons.

In 46 career games, Perry recorded 296 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, one interception, and eight pass breakups. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Chargers.

Regardless of what happens, it's surely a pivotal moment in college sports and its intertwinement with NIL moving forward -- and something that nearly everyone involved in the sport has an opinion on.