College football made a mess for himself. And the cleanup process contains specific programs that hold each other accountable for chaos when one of them crosses the line of civil liability.

This is what the University of Wisconsin and its zero collectively do. Via Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Wisconsin sued the University of Miami About the recruitment of defending backer Xavier Lucas.

Wisconsin claims that Miami deliberately interfered with his contractual relationship with Lucas by leading him to breaking the contract and transfer.

It is a fairly simple legal principle. If one enterprise has a contract with an individual and another undertaking persuades the person to violate the contract, the business will intentionally and tortally blend the contractual relationship. It is a legal theory that enables the restoration of real financial losses, and because it is a “damages” claim, possible criminal damage.

The rise of zero amid the collapse of the NCAA’s various rules that violated the antitrust laws created a wild west atmosphere in the university’s football. This does not mean that schools can ignore the clear and exposed legal rights of other schools. Lawsuits like these should encourage all colleges to step lightly when he recruits a player who has a binding contract with another school.

That said, the mere fact that one university would sue another because of the financial damage arising from luring a player to leave one school for another underlines the idea that these players are employees. The sooner they are treated as employees and not student athletes, the easier it will be for the NCAA and its members to start restoring the right order in a system that has become chaotic because of the struggle of corrupt rules that players who have prevented the players continuously paid by someone.

As we said more than once or twice, colleges should be expected to correct university sport. It is not for the congress or the president or anyone else to take out the mop. It is for the schools to recognize to the nature and extent of the mess. And it is for the schools to devise real solutions to weaken the deck.

Even if it means embracing a nationwide union, and the rights that such a trade union would secure for the players regarding compensation, practice intensity and all other conditions of what is necessarily a employment relationship.