Brendan Sorsby’s decision to enter the NFL supplemental draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility is not expected to influence the Big 12 to drop its lawsuit against him.
Sorsby admitted that he placed at least $90,000 in wagers on college sports while a college athlete. This conduct is prohibited and could lead to penalties beyond the loss of eligibility. He also admitted to betting on Indiana while he was on the roster.
After his admission, the Big 12 filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of Texas seeking to preserve its ability to discipline Sorsby under conference bylaws.
The questions now are whether entering the supplemental draft will allow Sorsby to avoid further punishment and how his gambling history could affect his NFL future.
Brendan Sorsby dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA after a judge granted an injunction
Before the Big 12 filed its lawsuit, Judge Ken Curry granted Sorsby a temporary injunction that cleared him to play for Texas Tech during the 2026 season with a two-game suspension.
“The injunction last week by Judge Ken Curry had prevented the NCAA from enforcing its ruling that the quarterback was ineligible to play what would have been his final college season,” ESPN wrote. “Sorsby transferred to reigning Big 12 champion Texas Tech in January after spending the past two seasons at Cincinnati.”
Days later, Sorsby changed course. Following the injunction, Sorsby decided to enter the NFL supplemental draft and drop his lawsuit against the NCAA.
The Big 12 continues its Brendan Sorsby lawsuit
The Big 12 Board of Directors released a statement on June 15, saying:
“Last night, the Big 12 filed a legal complaint asking a federal court to protect the constitutional and contractual rights of the Conference and our member institutions to take actions expressly permitted under our Bylaws. The Big 12 has long spoken out about the dangers of sports wagering by student-athletes and remains committed to protecting the competitive integrity of conference competition. Universities should not field players who have bet on their own team’s games in college athletics. This situation is evolving with pending legal matters and the upcoming start of the football season, and the Conference hopes for a timely resolution of these issues. The Board continues to keep all options on the table.”
The conference’s legal filing made clear that the lawsuit extends beyond Sorsby’s eligibility and centers on the Big 12’s authority to protect the integrity and reputation of its competition.
“An athlete with an extensive, documented history of wagering on intercollegiate athletic contests — especially his own team’s games — presents a reputational and integrity risk to the conference and its championship competition that the conference has both the right and the responsibility to address,” attorneys for the Big 12 wrote. “The conference is not required to accept that risk on behalf of its 15 other member institutions, their student-athletes, their fans and its commercial partners. And no government official has the power to compel it to do so.”
The Big 12 Board of Directors is expected to provide an update on the matter sometime this week.
