A Lubbock County judge granted Brendan Sorsby’s injunction against the NCAA, meaning the Texas Tech QB will be suspended two games after his gambling admission, making him eligible against UH.
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Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who was declared ineligible for betting on college sports, was granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA, paving the way for him to be eligible for the 2026 season.
Sorsby will miss the Red Raiders’ first two games against Abilene Christian and Oregon State — a penalty that had been proposed by his attorneys — and be eligible to return beginning with the Friday night Big 12 opener against the University of Houston on Sept. 18.
The ruling Monday by Judge Ken Curry came a week after a hearing in the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, where Texas Tech is located. In the ruling, Curry said that Sorsby “demonstrated that he will suffer a probable, imminent and irreparable injury” if not allowed to play or practice this fall.
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“I’m very grateful for the endless support I have received throughout this entire process,” Sorsby posted on social media. “I am also grateful for the chance to rejoin my teammates. 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 forward.”
The NCAA has filed its appeal of the decision, per multiple reports.
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In a statement, the NCAA said it “strongly disagrees” with the court’s ruling and is “deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports.”
“The NCAA is committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one’s own sport,” the NCAA said.
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Sorsby, 22, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA in April and later had a request for reinstatement denied. He filed suit May 18 as he underwent a 35-day resident treatment program for gambling addiction and anxiety disorder.
As part of documents provided by Sorsby and Texas Tech submitted to the NCAA, the fifth-year senior placed about $90,000 in impermissible wagers on professional and college sports during his time at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. He made 40 bets while a freshman at Indiana in 2022, though none included any games he played in with the Hoosiers.
Sorsby used accounts registered in his name and those of family members and friends to place the impermissible wagers through Hard Rock Bet, FanDuel, Underdog and PrizePicks accounts.
Sorsby placed bets on everything from Indiana football, Romanian soccer, Turkish basketball, tennis and the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
“It became a habit for me to bet,” Sorsby wrote in a statement to the NCAA. “My betting became a compulsion which made it virtually impossible to resist the constant notifications I received from betting apps. I lost complete control of my addiction. I now realize the apps controlled me and I did not control them.”
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The NCAA said it received a tip of Sorsby’s gambling from a sportsbook after it had been informed by law enforcement.
In a court filing, the NCAA noted there is “a clear, bright-like rule prohibiting student-athletes from any form of wagering on sports in which the NCAA sponsors a championship event.”
The injunction comes with conditions that Sorsby must continue to take part in individual clinical counseling for his gambling and participate in peer support through Gamblers Anonymous or a similar group.
One of the top players in the transfer portal this offseason, Sorsby joined the Red Raiders on a multimillion-dollar deal to play his final season of college football. He played the past two seasons at Cincinnati.
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Texas Tech is coming off the program’s first Big 12 championship and appearance in the College Football Playoff.
“As we have said before, we do not believe that the circumstances of Brendan’s case warranted permanent ineligibility,” Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a statement. “As he returns to our football program, we remain committed to supporting Brendan’s recovery and ensuring his compliance with the court’s order. A comprehensive support structure, including clinical care, monitoring, and compliance checks, will remain fully in place for the duration of Brendan’s role as a student at Texas Tech.”
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yorark said he’s scheduled a meeting with the conference’s athletic directors and executive board this week.
“The ramifications of today’s ruling are significant and could have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership,” Yormark said. “I’ve been consulting with our key stakeholders. … We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.”
Some Big 12 schools have discussed whether to play the Red Raiders this season, according to Yahoo Sports.
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“It’s f— b—,” Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor told the website. “I know the kid has a problem. Well, get well and focus on your problem. It is absolutely devastating for him to be able to play when every other sport, no matter the level, deems an athlete ineligible or they are punished severely for betting on their team.”
Houston athletic director Eddie Nuñez was on vacation in Italy and unavailable for comment.
David Williams, UH’s senior deputy athletics director, said the school would not specifically comment on Sorsby or Texas Tech but that the situation “shines a light on the fact there needs to be legally defensible rules in college athletics.”