Will Monday’s Order Really Benefit Brendan Sorsby?
Texas judge issues temporary injunction blocking the NCAA from permanently banning Texas Tech QB
(NOTE: 6:50 PM ET, This article has been updated to show the NCAA filed a request for an accelerated appeal late Monday afternoon and Judge Curry setting a trial date.)
Brendan Sorsby won in court Monday, but at what cost to the NCAA and, more importantly, himself?
Sorsby who admitted to betting on the Indiana Hoosiers football team while he was a member of it, can rejoin the Texas Tech team and prepare to play this season. That’s because a judge on Monday granted the quarterback a temporary order blocking the NCAA from banning him.
The decision faces an appeal. Still, Sorsby’s chances of playing college football this season despite breaking the cardinal rule of all sports increase dramatically.
Sorsby filed the lawsuit in Lubbock County, where Texas Tech is located, after the NCAA declined the school’s request to reinstate him. He transferred to Texas Tech, where he’s receiving an NIL package worth at least $5 million, after playing the previous two seasons at Cincinnati, where he transferred after two seasons at IU.
NCAA rules on student-athletes and gambling are crystal clear. They cannot wager on any sport for which it sponsors a championship at any level. It treats an athlete who bet on games involving their team (whether they bet on or against their team) or sport as the most egregious violation.
In the statement of facts Texas Tech submitted for Sorsby’s reinstatement, Sorsby admitted to making at least 40 bets on his team, with at least one of those being $114, while at IU. He also made 300 other wagers on college football during his time there. After he transferred to Cincinnati, he placed additional bets on college football. All told, he wagered at least $9,000 on college football.
It should have been an open-and-shut case. Instead, it seems like we’re about to see Pandora’s box get opened with a battering ram.
Permanent Ban Detrimental to Sorsby’s Health
In his lawsuit, Sorsby and his lawyers – one of whom is Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows – claim the NCAA “weaponized his condition” and sandbagged their review of his eligibility. (The NCAA noted in its filing last month that Texas Tech did not seek Sorsby’s reinstatement prior to the lawsuit.) They also said not allowing Sorsby to play his final college season would be detrimental to his mental health.
Judge Ken Curry wrote in his order Monday that Sorsby showed he had “a probable right to relief” based on his claims. If he was banned Sorsby would not be in a position to “[b]enefit from elite coaching, training resources, camaraderie, and regimen that only being a member of a Division I college football team can provide,” and “[b]uild the skills necessary to maximize his own success during the college football season, as well as that of Texas Tech’s football team and each of its players.”
In other words, the rules don’t matter when a player like Sorsby can make the local school a national title contender. The Red Raiders made the College Football Playoff last season, and with Sorsby, many believe the school can get there once again. Curry, for what it’s worth is a retired judge from Fort Worth, but the case was still heard in a courthouse that’s a short drive from Texas Tech’s campus.
Does Ruling Truly Help Sorsby?
We can talk all day about how bad this decision is for college football, but there’s another question that needs to be addressed:
Does this decision truly benefit Sorsby, who said anxiety caused his gambling problem?
Superficially, yes. He now gets to play and lead one of the top teams in the country. Beyond that, the jury’s still out.
Looking at Tech’s schedule, Sorsby will be able to play in four away games. All of those will be against conference opponents. What kind of reaction do you think he’ll get from fans when he’s on the field?
As someone who has anxiety issues myself, I feel for Sorsby. I can’t imagine, though, what it will feel like when he faces 50,000 Oklahoma State fans.
Texas Tech is also scheduled to play at Cincinnati. That was already going to be a contentious game for him, since the school has taken him to court, claiming he must pay $1 million for failing to fulfill an NIL agreement. Do you think the fans at Nippert Stadium will cheer his return?
And what do you think will happen when Sorsby throws an interception? Or if Texas Tech loses a game where he played badly?
Anxiety is treated, not cured. Hopefully, the help Sorsby’s receiving will allow him to manage his condition. Even so, an article from the American Medical Association earlier this year said it’s not a quick fix. Even with medication, it may take between six to 24 months to really see results.
If Sorsby suffered a serious knee or shoulder injury, would he rush back to the field? Here’s hoping Texas Tech and Sorsby treat anxiety with the seriousness it deserves.
Sorsby ‘Focused’ on Personal Growth
So far, both the quarterback and school are saying the right things.
“This opportunity comes with the responsibility to remain focused on my personal growth, the ability to learn from this experience, and to be able to use my situation to help others going forward,” Sorsby said in a statement he posted on social media.
After the judge’s ruling Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt issued a statement saying the Red Raiders “remain committed” to supporting Sorsby and making certain he abides by the judge’s order.
“A comprehensive support structure, including clinical care, monitoring, and compliance checks, will remain fully in place for the duration of Brendan’s time as a student at Texas Tech,” Hocutt said.
Maybe, as Curry wrote, being with his teammates and coaches will help him, but does he really need to be in a helmet and shoulder pads for that?
The judge included stipulations in his order. Sorsby must continue counseling and enroll in either Gamblers’ Anonymous or a similar program. He must also show the NCAA he’s complying with the conditions.
The quarterback must also sit out the team’s first two games of the season.
Texas Tech starts its season on Sept. 5 when it hosts Abilene Christian, a school that’s in the lower Football Championship Subdivision. A week later, the Red Raiders travel to Oregon State, a game in which they’re likely to be the favorite.
Based on the judge’s wording, Sorsby will still be able to practice with the team during that time. He just cannot take part in gameday activities.
Appeal Could Be Moot
Late Monday afternoon the NCAA announced its request for an accelerated appeal to the state appeals court in Amarillo.
However, according to Texas attorney Christopher Kratovil, who posted on X Monday after Curry granted the injunction, an appellate court’s decision may not come until after the season ends.
“The problem with the appeal is that even an accelerated appeal of the TI order is likely to take at least 9 to 12 months, meaning the college football season will be long over before the Amarillo Court of Appeals affirms or vacates the TI,” he wrote.
Even if the appellate court fast-tracks the case, it would likely be sometime during the college football season before it hands down a decision, Kratovil added.
The injunction is in place until the local court can hold a trial on the case.
Curry also set a trial date of Feb. 8, 2027, for the Sorsby case. That is two weeks after the College Football Playoff championship game.
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