Key facts
- The NCAA is seeking to overturn a court injunction that allows Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby to play despite gambling violations.
- The Big 12 Conference filed a federal lawsuit to prevent the Texas Attorney General from interfering with its disciplinary actions.
- Sorsby admitted to making thousands of bets, including on his own team when he was a freshman at Indiana.
- The NCAA rules typically mandate permanent loss of eligibility for players who wager on their own teams.
- Texas Tech argues Sorsby's participation is beneficial for his mental health and well-being.
- The Texas Attorney General's office had warned the Big 12 against imposing sanctions.
The NCAA and the Big 12 Conference are engaged in separate legal battles over the eligibility of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who has admitted to gambling violations. The NCAA filed an emergency motion with the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas at Amarillo, seeking to stay a temporary injunction granted on June 8 by a Lubbock County court. This injunction allows Sorsby to play this fall despite his admitted gambling addiction and thousands of bets made while he was a freshman at Indiana, including on his own team.
The NCAA argues that the injunction undermines the integrity of college sports, rewrites its rules, and incentivizes challenges to eligibility decisions. The organization requested a resolution by August 28 to avoid disruption before Texas Tech's season begins on September 5.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 Conference filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Dallas. This action targets Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as Texas Tech leadership, asserting the conference's right to enforce its own bylaws and rules. The Big 12 stated that an athlete with a documented history of wagering on college sports, especially his own team's games, presents a reputational and integrity risk that the conference must address independently.
Sorsby has acknowledged making thousands of impermissible bets totaling at least $90,000 during his time at Indiana, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech. While NCAA guidelines have evolved, rules still call for permanent ineligibility for players who wager on their own teams. At least two other universities, Nebraska and Georgia, have indicated they will not schedule Texas Tech due to the situation.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has urged the Big 12 to suspend Sorsby and called the Texas AG's antitrust claims meritless. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has offered support to the Big 12 in its legal dispute with Paxton's office.