{"id":336280,"date":"2026-06-14T19:51:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T19:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/336280\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T19:51:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T19:51:51","slug":"texas-tech-defends-gambling-qb-raising-integrity-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/336280\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Tech defends gambling QB, raising integrity concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LUBBOCK,<\/p>\n

Head Coach Joey McGuire of the Texas Tech Red Raiders stands with his players for “The Matador Song” after the Oct. 25, 2025, game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock.<\/p>\n

John E. Moore III<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

College sports is degrading so fast, it\u2019s hard for any particular indignity to stand out. When a prominent coach sanctions anything short of murder<\/a>, though, that breaks through.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech University is marshaling its clout and wealth to protect the playing eligibility of transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby<\/a>, who, a couple of stops ago, gambled on his own sport and team. That was once the unforgivable sin for an athlete, but Sorsby found a Tarrant County judge willing to order the NCAA<\/a> to allow him to play in the upcoming season.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the big deal, Tech coach Joey McGuire wants to know?<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a society, we\u2019ve been OK with other things that happen and allowing players to play, and this has been the one thing uniting people that we\u2019re against,\u201d he told a group of Tech boosters June 10 in Houston. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy \u2013 it\u2019s not murder, it\u2019s not beating somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n

“It’s crazy…because it’s not murder, it’s not beating somebody…”<\/p>\n

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire defends his QB Brendan Sorsby, who’s under fire for gambling on his own team’s football games: pic.twitter.com\/nz0OfwP5OC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) June 10, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

You\u2019ll break your neck trying to see how low McGuire just reset the bar. But he\u2019s just following the example set in politics.<\/p>\n

Maine Democrats have decided that Graham Platner, someone who decided to permanently mark his body with a Nazi symbol<\/a> and who faces several credible and recent accusations of abusing women, is the state\u2019s best choice to be a U.S. senator. As McGuire might say, hey, he didn\u2019t kill anybody.<\/p>\n

These stories seem unrelated. But they represent the elevation of glory, victory, fortune and personal or political agendas over integrity and standards.<\/p>\n

Sorsby and Platner mark the complete triumph of narrow, individual, legalistic arguments. If you can find the finest thread to pull, yank it with all your might. If the whole jersey or brownshirt unravels, that\u2019s someone else\u2019s mess to clean up.<\/p>\n

Our institutions are increasingly susceptible to such abuse in part because so few leaders are willing to reach beyond themselves to protect them.<\/p>\n

Where are Maine Democratic leaders, the party\u2019s other senators or powerful party eminences such as Barack Obama to say: This candidate cannot bear our standard? Where are major campaign donors saying: Not another dime until you jettison the SS fan?<\/p>\n

\"BLUE Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks June 9 in Blue Hill, Maine, after winning his primary election. CJ Gunther Getty Images <\/p>\n

Where is anyone in power in Texas to tell Tech leaders not only that they are wrong but that they will damage the institution long-term for what will probably be a modest short-term gain? Is Sorsby really the difference<\/a> between Tech making the college football playoff last year and winning it this year? What about the incredible distractions and constant suspicion to be borne by innocent athletes trying to do it the right way?<\/p>\n

Gov. Abbott could tell Texas Tech \u2018no\u2019 on Brendan Sorsby<\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Abbot never hesitates to reach deep into university systems<\/a> when he sees something political he does not like. Why isn\u2019t he on the phone telling Tech\u2019s chancellor or the chairman of its Board of Regents \u2014 an Abbott appointee, like all regents everywhere \u2014 \u201cI will not let you do this to this vital Texas institution\u201d?<\/p>\n

Attorney General Ken Paxton actually managed \u2014 of course \u2014 to go one notch worse. He vowed Thursday to defend Tech in court if other Big 12 conference universities<\/a> follow through on ideas such as refusing to play against a school with a potential game-thrower in the starting lineup.<\/p>\n

The number of colleges that would do what Tech\u2019s doing in the same situation is probably shocking. Success at the height of college athletics is valuable enough to engender any manner of scummy behavior. Demanding that Tech or anyone be the first to draw the line is a huge ask.<\/p>\n

But the attempts to turn this vice into virtue are just too much. McGuire explained that his quarterback is \u201crecovering from an addiction,\u201d as if Tech is suddenly on the cutting edge of rehab.<\/p>\n

\"Brendan Brendan Sorsby Raiders passes during the Texas Tech Spring Game on April 17 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock. Ron Jenkins Getty Images for ONIT <\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe it falls to me to explain this to a major college coach, but here goes: If the outcome of the game is suspicious because one of the most important players has admitted to placing himself above his team numerous times, the golden goose of athletics will die. The entertainment value of sports is spontaneity, the idea that nothing is scripted. If that disappears, viewership will dwindle, sponsorships will dry up and, ironically, even bettors will shy away, knowing they can\u2019t beat a fix.<\/p>\n

Would McGuire permit his kicker to shank a field goal attempt late with a six-point lead in a game with a seven-point spread to make his bet? Why not? He\u2019s not killing anyone.<\/p>\n

McGuire attempts to wrap Sorsby in the patois of recovery and portray his program as a West Texas outlet of the Betty Ford center<\/a>. Even if it were, it\u2019s not prudent to hire a recently recovering alcoholic to manage a bar.<\/p>\n

Sorsby has never even taken a single snap for Tech. He\u2019s at his third college in five years. Would he show such loyalty to the institution? Sorsby may be a great quarterback, but no one is indispensable.<\/p>\n

What would Maine gain by electing Graham Platner?<\/p>\n

Similarly, what does Platner bring to the table that Mainers can\u2019t resist? He is not a person of significant achievement. There\u2019s no reason to believe he\u2019s especially positioned to win, except for the untested theory that he will generate interest among angry socialist-inclined Democrats.<\/p>\n

And for what would Maine sully itself? To beat veteran Sen. Susan Collins \u2014 perhaps the most liberal Republican in the Senate<\/a> anyway. If Democrats flip the seat, it might help them eke out a 51-49 majority for as little as two years. What exactly can they do with that power in a still-divided government that makes the tradeoff worth it?<\/p>\n

\"WASHINGTON, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (right) leaves the U.S. Capitol on June 3 after a meeting. Chip Somodevilla Getty Images <\/p>\n

And yes, we have a rough mirror image of Platner in Texas with Paxton. Republicans here ousted an accomplished conservative Senate leader, John Cornyn, in favor of the corrupt, personally flawed Paxton<\/a>. His most passionate supporters can at least articulate a reason. They see Paxton as having stood up to the \u201cswamp\u201d and being willing to \u201cfight\u201d whatever bogeyman they want vanquished at the moment.<\/p>\n

Paxton has never found an actual principle that would stop him from giving them what they want. He\u2019s not as effective as they think and does not merit the label \u201cconservative.\u201d<\/a> But at least you can see how his supporters get to where they are.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the problem for them, for Maine Democrats and for Tech: Senators and quarterbacks will come, and they will go. Integrity, once lost, is not so easily replaced.<\/p>\n

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 2:07 PM.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Ryan J. Rusak is opinion editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He grew up in Benbrook and is a TCU graduate. He spent more than 15 years as a political journalist, overseeing coverage of four presidential elections and several sessions of the Texas Legislature. He writes about Fort Worth\/Tarrant County politics and government, along with Texas and national politics, education, social and cultural issues, and occasionally sports, music and pop culture. Rusak, who lives in east Fort Worth, was recently named Star Opinion Writer of the Year for 2024 by Texas Managing Editors, a news industry group.\n <\/p>\n