The contentious exit of Will Wade from NC State might now lead to legal action.
Wade left to be LSU’s head men’s basketball coach in March after just one season leading the Wolfpack, but now NC State is looking into whether LSU violated a North Carolina law called the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
In a letter to LSU general counsel Carlton Jones, NC State general counsel Allison B. Newhart wrote that the school has reason to believe that LSU worked with Wade to help him avoid a pricier buyout fee from his contract, WRAL News reported.
“The timing and circumstances of Coach Wade’s departure from Raleigh and his resignation, along with the LSU term sheet, and the eventual [buyout] payment of $4 million to NC State raise questions about LSU’s potential liability in this matter,” Newhart alleged in the letter.
“Based on Coach Wade’s actions prior to his departure and other information regarding LSU’s pursuit of Coach Wade, NC State has reason to suspect that LSU may have influenced efforts to avoid or delay notice to NC State of LSU’s recruitment of Coach Wade and perhaps even the timing of Coach Wade’s employment with LSU in order to avoid larger buyout fees,” the letter also stated.
Wade walked away from his role at NC State on March 25, and a day later, LSU officially hired him to be their next men’s coach.
Wade had a $5 million buyout in his contract if he left before April 1, and that number dropped to $3 million if he departed following that date.
The basketball coach negotiated a $4 million buyout with NC State, and LSU wired him that amount on May 8, according to WRAL.
Weeks later, LSU sent a “mutual release and settlement agreement” to NC State’s general counsel, which was rejected in a June 4 reply.
“NC State has not agreed — and does not agree now — to release LSU from any liability. Instead, NC State is investigating whether LSU improperly induced Coach Wade to breach his employment agreement, induced Coach Wade to terminate his employment agreement, and interfered with the timing of termination of the employment agreement to result in lower liquidation damages — all to NC State’s detriment,” the reply stated.
Wade arrived in Raleigh to plenty of fanfare after leading McNeese State to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2024 and 2025, but, very quickly, murmurs about interest from LSU began to appear.
Wade signed a six-year deal that was worth more than $17 million, and during his lone season at NC State, he helped the program reach the First Four in the NCAA Tournament.
Wade publicly and privately expressed his commitment to NC State at various times before ultimately leaving.
