Force Majeure
In plain English
Force majeure is a clause that excuses performance when extraordinary events — natural disasters, pandemics, war — make the contract impossible.
Full definition
Force majeure is a provision excusing performance when extraordinary events outside either party's control prevent it. Common triggers include natural disasters, pandemics, acts of war, terrorism, governmental orders, strikes, and infrastructure failures. The clause typically suspends performance for the duration of the event, requires notice within a defined window, and obligates good-faith efforts to mitigate. Critically, force majeure does not usually excuse payment for work already performed — it only excuses future performance. Athletes should confirm that the clause covers events that disproportionately affect them (e.g., season cancellation, conference suspension, NCAA action) and reserves the right to terminate (not just suspend) if the force-majeure event continues beyond a defined period — typically 60 to 90 days.
What it looks like in a contract
Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance under this Agreement (other than the obligation to make payments already accrued) to the extent caused by acts of God, war, terrorism, pandemic, governmental order, or other event beyond such party's reasonable control, provided that the affected party gives prompt written notice and uses commercially reasonable efforts to resume performance.
Synthesised from common contract patterns. Not lifted from any specific real contract.
How RevU helps
RevU's NIL contract analyzer detects force majeure provisions automatically — flagging the exact triggering language, scoring athlete-vs-brand friendliness, and surfacing negotiation leverage where it exists. See Boilerplate analysis in RevU for the full product context.
Check your contract freeRelated terms
Termination Clause
The termination clause spells out exactly how either side can end the contract — and what happens if they do.
Notice Period
The notice period is how much advance warning the contract requires before one side can take a major action — usually termination.
Survival
Survival is the rule that lists which contract provisions stay in effect even after the deal ends.
Governing Law
Governing law is the specific law (usually a state's) that will be used to interpret the contract — paired with choice of law and venue.