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We now have a war of Attorneys General happening across Big 12 states. One day after the Texas Attorney General said he would defend Texas Tech against any sanctions from the Big 12 regarding the Brendan Sorsby decision, the Oklahoma Attorney General has inserted himself into the picture.
On Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton emailed Brett Yormark and Douglas Girod, Chair of the Big 12’s Board of Directors, and the Chancellor at the University of Kansas, a formal letter threatening legal action should the league penalize or sanction Texas Tech for its stance maintaining Sorsby’s eligibility for the 2026 football season.
In the letter, the attorney general states the following regarding any potential penalties to be levied against Texas Tech:
“Any sanction against Texas Tech for acting consistent with the (injunction) would be a per se violation of federal and state antitrust laws – a naked horizontal agreement among competitors to disadvantage Texas Tech.”
Additionally, the letter threatens the Big 12 with legal action over “breach of contract and tortious interference” with the Red Raiders regarding potential forfeited contests or changes to their upcoming football schedule. This portion references the recent uproar by Big 12 athletic directors, as well as several Power Four athletic departments, over the injunction letting Sorsby play.
Oklahoma Responds on Friday
Fast-forward to Friday, and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond released his own letter, writing in part, “My office stands ready to assist the Big 12 if Texas Tech’s leadership attempts to punish the Conference for doing the right thing.”
A RESPONSE to Texas From Oklahoma…
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking the Big 12 to sanction Texas Tech following the Brendan Sorsby gambling fallout.
“My office stands ready to assist the Big 12 if Texas Tech’s leadership attempts to punish the Conference… pic.twitter.com/Xb1eXVWY8b
— Heartland College Sports (@Heartland_CS) June 12, 2026
Drummond also notes in his letter that, “The claims asserted in the letter are meritless. The idea that the Big 12 may not sanction the actions of one of its members under an agreed-upon preexisting contract is facially absurd. The Supreme Court has squarely rejected the letter’s central premise that conference discipline amounts to a per se antitrust violation.”
Drummond adds, “Sorsby broke NCAA Rules by wagering roughly $90,000 on sports over four years. He even bet forty times on games involving his own team during his freshman season at Indiana… Athletes gambling on their own games imperils that entire system. This is why leagues have always taken a hard line to punish athletes impermissibly gambling on sports.”
Meantime, Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire recently doubled down on his school’s defense of Sorsby, and said providing their quarterback an avenue to finish his career lines up with other mistakes student-athletes have made without losing out on the entirety of their eligibility. A legit point, but one that doesn’t exactly account for those players that’ve already been penalized under the current NCAA rule, which denies eligibility to any player wagering on their own games.
But now, we have this fight being taken to the next level. Will another Attorney General get involved? Time will tell.
