Brendan Sorsby Decides Not To Play For Texas Tech Amid Controversy Over His Eligibility

Brendan Sorsby won’t beryllium playing shot for Texas Tech this autumn aft all.

It’s not because nan transportation backmost has been permanently banned by nan NCAA for wagering connected assemblage sports — an injunction issued by a Texas judge past week appeared to clear nan measurement for Sorsby to play for nan Red Raiders successful 2026.

That ruling, however, was being challenged done abstracted tribunal filings by nan NCAA and nan Big 12 Conference. Facing that uncertainty complete his last season, and pinch nan deadline to participate nan NFL supplemental draught quickly approaching, Sorsby opted to time off nan Red Raiders without ever playing a down.

Sorsby’s determination was announced Monday nighttime successful an unfastened missive by Cody Campbell, president of nan Texas Tech committee of regents.

“This determination was made pinch Brendan and his family and is purely an output of applicable study of nan situation,” Campbell wrote. “Brendan and Texas Tech guidelines connected very coagulated and morganatic ineligible ground, but he faces a June 22nd deadline to beryllium eligible to participate nan NFL’s supplemental draft, and location is nary applicable measurement to resoluteness each nan various pending ineligible disputes and guarantee his eligibility anterior to this date. This is nan only viable and adjacent way for Brendan and his future, arsenic good arsenic for his teammates, and our university.”

Sorsby posted a connection Monday nighttime connected Instagram.

“I americium grateful for nan support from my family, my Tech coaching staff, teammates, nan community, and truthful galore others who person encouraged maine to reside and study much astir this important issue,” Sorsby wrote. “As my travel continues, I stay afloat committed to and focused connected being nan champion I tin be, some connected and disconnected nan field.”

Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech this offseason, aft 2 years each astatine Indiana and Cincinnati, for a reported multimillion-dollar deal. In precocious April, he and Texas Tech jointly announced that he had entered a residential curen program for gambling addiction. Sorsby completed nan 35-day programme successful May.

Court records show that Sorsby has admitted to wagering astatine slightest $90,000 during his clip arsenic an NCAA student athlete, including 40 bets connected Indiana shot games he was not participating successful while a freshman backup pinch nan Hoosiers successful 2022.

“Texas Tech will proceed to supply nan support and betterment resources Brendan requires connected this journey,” Campbell wrote. “Furthermore, Texas Tech will not activity return of immoderate amounts already paid to Brendan done his NIL agreements.”

In May, Sorsby filed a lawsuit successful Lubbock County District Court asking to person his eligibility restored because nan NCAA “failed to comply pinch its contractual commitments” to him arsenic a student jock and truthful “is precluded from enforcing its gambling bylaws against Mr. Sorsby to contradict aliases withhold his reinstatement.”

Last week, judge Ken Curry granted a impermanent injunction that would person allowed Sorsby to play for nan Red Raiders successful 2026. He would person had to miss nan first 2 games of nan play arsenic 1 of nan conditions of nan ruling.

Without nan injunction, Curry wrote successful his ruling, Sorsby would “suffer a probable, imminent and irreparable injury” by missing retired connected nan “elite coaching, training resources, camaraderie, and regimen that only being a personnel of a Division I assemblage shot squad tin provide.”

The last proceeding had been scheduled to statesman Feb. 8, astir 2 weeks aft assemblage football’s nationalist title game.

Following nan ruling, respective teams and conferences discussed a prohibition connected playing Texas Tech successful immoderate sport. After appealing nan determination past week, nan NCAA revenge an emergency mobility connected Monday to enactment nan injuction and asked for nan lawsuit to beryllium resolved earlier nan commencement of nan Red Raiders season.

Also connected Monday, nan Big 12 revenge for a judgement from a U.S. District Court successful Dallas protecting nan conference’s expertise nether its bylaws to punishment Texas Tech, a personnel school, if Sorsby played this season.

“An jock pinch an extensive, documented history of wagering connected intercollegiate diversion contests — particularly his ain team’s games — presents a reputational and integrity consequence to nan convention and its title championship that nan convention has some nan correct and nan work to address,” attorneys for nan Big 12 wrote successful nan filing.

Soon aft Campbell announced Sorsby’s decision, Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec and diversion head Kirby Hocutt issued a associated connection connected nan matter.

“When Brendan’s suit resulted successful nan granting of a impermanent injunction, we recovered ourselves successful a difficult situation,” they wrote. “With his wellness and wellness arsenic our apical priority, we supported him successful spite of very different perspectives and opinions. Our position was challenged by galore but our support for him ne'er changed.

“We will proceed to widen each disposable resources that Brendan had arsenic a student and jock to guarantee his modulation is arsenic successful arsenic possible.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.