For the first time since Brendan Sorsby announced his intention to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, his agent Ron Slavin has publicly detailed how the decision came together, the role Texas Tech played in the process, the financial impact on Sorsby and why he believes the national conversation surrounding the quarterback\u2019s gambling case spiraled far beyond reality.<\/p>\n
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas-Fort Worth, Slavin painted a picture of a player who still wanted to play college football at Texas Tech, but ultimately decided to move forward with the Supplemental Draft amid uncertainty surrounding the legal process and growing outside pressure.<\/p>\n
According to Slavin, entering the Supplemental Draft was never about Sorsby wanting to leave Texas Tech.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much pressure from everywhere else on Tech and Brendan still wanted to play at Tech,\u201d Slavin said. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t Brendan Sorsby not wanting to play college football. This was Brendan Sorsby being advised by the school that I think it\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slavin said the uncertainty surrounding the legal process played a major role in the decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith seven days left until the Supplemental Draft we didn\u2019t know where this thing was going to go. We won in court and we did our job, but for some reason the world melted down and acted like college football was ruined forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slavin pushes back on public reaction<\/p>\n
Throughout the interview, Slavin repeatedly criticized how the situation was portrayed nationally and argued many people commenting on the case lacked a full understanding of the facts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many 18-year-olds make really bad decisions?\u201d Slavin said. \u201cThere were never any integrity of the game violations.\u201d He continued. \u201cEverybody loves to have an opinion and I am so tired of getting on TV and seeing people blab their mouth about situations they don\u2019t have any idea what they are talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Slavin, the public perception of the case became disconnected from reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opinions out there were that you would have thought this kid committed major crimes and did horrible things. The reality is he made some bad decisions as an 18-year-old in his dorm room at Indiana when he wasn\u2019t traveling with the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slavin also stated there are additional details that have not yet become public.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is so much more to the story that will come out later, that Brendan wasn\u2019t doing anything that hurt the integrity of the game.\u201d He further claimed that Sorsby never wagered on college football after becoming an active member of Indiana\u2019s roster and never did so while at Cincinnati.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never bet on college football once he got on the active roster at Indiana and he never did at Cincinnati.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why more details have not been publicly released<\/p>\n
When asked why some of the details surrounding the case have not already emerged publicly, Slavin said legal considerations and other individuals involved have limited what can currently be discussed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be careful with some of these things because of everyone who is involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slavin then shifted focus to Texas Tech, defending the university and coaching staff throughout the process. \u201cThe people I feel worse for than Brendan are the people at Texas Tech,\u201d Slavin said.<\/p>\n
According to Slavin, had the situation been widely known earlier, Sorsby\u2019s football future may have looked very different. \u201cBrendan should have probably gone in the draft in January if we would have known, but nobody knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the circumstances, Slavin praised Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe people at Tech have been great. I think Joey McGuire is one of the best human beings on the planet. A lot of head coaches are transactional. He is not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slavin also directed criticism toward Cincinnati. <\/p>\n
\u201cTexas Tech did not do anything wrong here and if anyone should be questioned and should be catching heat, it\u2019s Cincinnati because they knew for two years and never said anything and never did anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
NFL suspension concerns<\/p>\n
Slavin said he has not heard any indication that the NFL is considering disciplinary action related to the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, there was a precedent set with the Boutte kid from LSU and he didn\u2019t get a suspension from the NFL or sit out at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why Texas Tech and Sorsby ultimately chose the Supplemental Draft<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we made the decision to hire Jeffrey Kessler, he is the Harlem Globetrotters. He doesn\u2019t lose and the NCAA is the Washington Generals.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Slavin, winning the initial court battle did not eliminate concerns about what could happen later in the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing is, we did not lose. Texas Tech did not want to go through the process where the Big 12 makes up rules as they go, where they say, \u2018Oh he can\u2019t play in the Big 12 Championship Game,\u2019 or the CFP comes and says he can\u2019t play in the CFP. So then you would have played the season for nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the Supplemental Draft approaching, Slavin said Texas Tech believed moving forward was ultimately the safest path. \u201cWith it being seven days before the Supplemental Draft, Tech thought it was in Brendan\u2019s best interest to move forward with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also noted Sorsby considered the impact uncertainty could have had on the rest of the roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a roster with 90 kids, so those 90 kids are affected too. He was like, \u2018I don\u2019t want to screw these guys over either. We get through the season and go 12-0, then they pull the rug on us.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Was the decision really 50-50?<\/p>\n
When asked whether the decision was driven more by Texas Tech or Sorsby\u2019s camp, Slavin gave a brief response.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll say 50-50 just to make everybody happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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