NCAA denies Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby's petition for eligibility reinstatement
Texas Tech announced Tuesday the NCAA has denied the school's petition to have transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby's eligibility reinstated after he acknowledged wagering on sports, including on his own team when he was a freshman.
University president Lawrence Schovanec wrote in a letter to the Texas Tech community that the school would appeal the ruling. Sorsby also has a court hearing scheduled in Lubbock County District Court next Monday on his request for a temporary injunction that would allow him to play for the Red Raiders this season.
"We believe that given the facts and the context of Brendan's case, the NCAA's ruling should be reversed or modified," Schovanec wrote. "As a generation of college athletes face the legalization and rapid proliferation of sports betting in our country, gambling addiction is rising to the point of epidemic among college aged men in particular."
Sorsby was one of the top players to enter the transfer portal after last season. At stake is the multimillion-dollar deal the Texas native signed with the Red Raiders for what was supposed to be his final season of college football.
Athletic director Kirby Hocutt said he expected Tech's appeal to the NCAA being submitted by the end of this week.
"We believe the right thing to do is to not ruin this young man's college career for something that happened four years ago," Hocutt said Tuesday while attending the Big 12 spring meetings in Frisco, Texas. "There's penalties for everything that you do, and we would accept that and expect that, but at the same time, let's help this young man who has been very vulnerable and has admitted to some wrongdoings. Let's give him a second chance and help him."
Schovanec said the 22-year-old Sorsby last week completed an inpatient gambling addiction treatment program and is preparing to return to campus. The quarterback can participate in offseason activities with the Red Raiders.
Schovanec noted the NCAA's stated mission includes the lifelong well-being of athletes and to promote a "culture of care" for their mental health.
"Brendan himself has been open about his struggle with severe gambling addiction, and we believe his vulnerability deserves to be met with the full weight of this institution's support," Schovanec wrote. "Our foremost priority in contemplating Brendan's future with Texas Tech is his continued health and well-being."
Hocutt said Tech wants to help Sorsby and hopes that "the NCAA would look at it from a different lens than they traditionally have."
In his lawsuit seeking an injunction, Sorsby acknowledged that in his first year at Indiana, he wagered between $5 and $50 on the Hoosiers football team to win and made prop bets on teammates to exceed statistical predictions. He said he did not bet on the one game in which he played. Sorsby said he never bet on a game involving Cincinnati after he transferred there in 2024, but he continued to bet on other sports.
According to Schovanec, Sorsby will receive ongoing treatment, monitoring and support at the school. He will receive outpatient clinical care, participation in group and individual therapy, mentor resources, treatment for his related anxiety disorder and active monitoring of his technological devices. He also will have a custodian to oversee his personal finances and and periodic compliance checks.
"This is not a symbolic commitment," Schovanec wrote. "Each element reflects our conviction, and Brendan's, that nothing matters more right now than his continued recovery. It is our duty to provide that support and that is support we are uniquely well-positioned to provide."