Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark stands on stage during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO — Brett Yormark would like you to know the Big 12 aspires to be the nation’s “most globally relevant conference”; is already the deepest and most competitive; remains a trailblazer in digging up sponsors; has “zero tolerance” for religious bigotry among its brethren; and he’ll continue to be a regular on “the Hill,” as he calls it, protecting the interests of college athletics.
As for the league’s headline feud with its defending champ, Texas Tech?
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“Today’s not the time to address that issue,” he said Tuesday in his opening remarks at Big 12 media days.
“Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and our 16 schools.”
On one hand, you could see why the commissioner might not be interested talking about how the league’s new marquee program became the consensus villain of college football before Brendan Sorsby mercifully folded, thus ending, at least officially, one of the most unsettling episodes in the Big 12’s contentious history.
On the other, a player placing thousands of bets, many on his own team, was pretty big news, and, other than insults on social media and a lawsuit and a resolution facilitated only by the withdrawal of the principal, there wasn’t much in the way of transparency about the process leading to his exit.
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Not to mention this was the first public availability since — a forum for stating your league’s unequivocal position after an episode that brought it into question by association — and why not address it in July instead of kicking the can down the road?
Not so much, as it turns out.
Give Joey McGuire this much: Unlike Yormark, he tried. Like he did initially, he said he only meant to support one of his own. Still does. Just talked to Sorsby the other day, in fact. He’s working out in Dallas, if you were wondering. Hoping to be eligible for next year’s draft. His former coach wants him to know if he needs anything, he’s always welcome in Lubbock.
Related: Texas Tech’s McGuire doubles down on his desire to immediately renew rivalry with Texas
Looking back, McGuire says, maybe they could have handled it better. Maybe he shouldn’t have tried to explain it all at a booster club meeting in Houston, where comments meant for family went viral. Maybe they shouldn’t have made a video for the Red Raider community that got six million views on X instead and blew up in their faces.
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“Maybe we make one statement,” McGuire said Tuesday, smiling, “and shut the hell up.”
Or maybe the Red Raiders should have done all along what they’re doing now: Support a kid with an apparent gambling addiction by giving him the support he needs as he works through his issues privately. No way it would work otherwise. Maybe in a court, but not in the court of public opinion. Not in front of 80,000 raving fans every week.
As seen with a fisheye lens, Big 12 mascots pose for a photo during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks to reporters during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
FC Dallas President Dan Hunt poses with Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark as they exchange gifts during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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West Virginia cheerleader Natalie DeSantis poses for a photo wearing a football helmet during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks on stage during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire walks on stage before his press conference during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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Arizona State defensive back Montana Warren wears a large chain during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris speaks during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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University of Utah mascot Swoop, Kansas State mascot Willie the Wildcat and Baylor mascot Bruiser huddle around a football during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders laughs as he talks with a reporter during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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Baylor head coach Dave Aranda (center right) speaks during a coaches roundtable at Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire is introduced as mascot Raider Red performs during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
As seen with a fisheye lens, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks to reporters during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders calls on a reporter for a question during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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Oklahoma State running back Caleb Hawkins (seated left) and quarterback Drew Mestemaker (seated right) speak with reporters during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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University of Cincinnati mascot The Bearcat and UCF mascot Knightro pose for a photo during Big 12 Football Media Days at Ford Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Frisco.
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And, specifically, not among your 15 apoplectic Big 12 peers.
Yormark, who has done yeoman’s work not only keeping the Big 12 viable but expanding its footprint, worked behind the scenes to come to some sort of resolution. According to a recent ESPN story, the commissioner wanted to leave Tech an out, until he couldn’t.
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Next thing you know, he calls an emergency Big 12 meeting last month and informs 15 of his members they will bring a federal lawsuit against Tech and Texas’ attorney general.
Tech caved the next day.
Even if this was the best of all possible outcomes, it came with a price. Or as one Big 12 source told ESPN, “These things leave scars.”
McGuire told me Tuesday he’s received nothing but support from his fellow Big 12 coaches, but he concedes it’s been a rough go for his athletic director, Kirby Hocutt, and president, Lawrence Schovanec. McGuire understands it’s an untenable situation for the Big 12’s best program — one expected to advance at least as far as it did last season, even without a $5 million quarterback — to be at war with its own league. He expects things can be smoothed over eventually.
By the way: He’s not backing down from his challenge to play Texas anytime, anywhere, a response to Steve Sarkisian’s out-of-nowhere crack about the quality of the Red Raiders’ program.
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“Spot the ball, man,” McGuire said Tuesday. “We’re ready to go right now. We’ll play tomorrow.”
Then, perhaps thinking about lessons learned, he went on to profess his respect for Sark as well as the Texas program. Not only that, as a born and bred Texan, he wished all the old SWC teams from the state would play each other on a regular basis.
Talk to your boss, Joey. Tell him I’m down, too.
Until then, the Big 12 has bigger issues to work out. Yormark could have moved it along Tuesday. He had a duty to respond in public about a league issue that remains the talk of college athletics. In response to another question, he offered a flimsy statement about educating college athletes about gambling, the kind of thing you could get away with if you were the commissioner of another league, not the one at the center of the storm.
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The commissioner needed to make clear why the league took the stance that it did on Tech while acknowledging the university remains a valued and trusted member. Tricky, no? It would have required the kind of finesse and gravitas his predecessor, Bob Bowlsby, displayed in difficult times. Those simply aren’t Yormark’s strong points. Too bad. Seems like Tech officials aren’t the only ones who could use a do-over.