The University of Oregon is suing former defensive back Dakoda Fields for breach of contract over an outstanding balance tied to a settlement agreement.
According to court documents, Fields and UO agreed in February that Fields would pay $39,882 in exchange for release from liability relating to an “underlying dispute,” according to court documents.
The two parties later agreed that if Fields paid a discounted amount of $29,882 on or before April 20, the remaining $10,000 balance would be waived by the university.
Fields allegedly did not make the discounted payment by April 20 and, according to the university’s complaint, has a remaining balance of $10,000.
UO is requesting a money award against Fields for the remaining $10,000, in addition to interest that has accumulated at a 9% rate since April 21 and all associated attorney fees incurred by the university.
Fields, a former four-star recruit who redshirted with the Ducks in September 2024 as a true freshman before playing in Oregon’s first three games of the 2025 season, transferred to University of Oklahoma following the season. His intent to enter the transfer portal became public midseason when news broke on Nov. 5, 2025. He officially committed to Oklahoma on Jan. 5.
“He didn’t come to work today,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said during a Nov. 5 press conference regarding Fields’ transfer. “I — we haven’t talked to Dakoda. So I guess that’s just the way it goes nowadays.”
The public dispute appears to be a first for the university in the NIL era, though there have been several high-profile cases in recent months involving major transfer portal names, including Brendan Sorsby and University of Cincinnati, Darian Mensah and Duke University and, notably, Demond Williams Jr., after University of Washington reportedly threatened legal action when Williams announced his intent to enter the transfer portal days after signing a roughly $4 million deal with the school.
Unlike several recent high-profile NIL disputes involving transfer portal movement and multimillion-dollar agreements, Oregon’s complaint centers on enforcement of an alleged settlement agreement rather than an attempt to block Fields’ transfer.
Fields’ agent, Bardia Ghahremani, and agency ISA Sports did not respond for comment at the time of publication.
