Now that sports betting and gambling have been legalized in many states across America, it’s become easier than ever to gamble on sporting events. It is legal in 39 states to place a bet on a sporting event.
This ease of access has its unintended consequences though. It’s well documented that gambling addiction is on the rise, especially in younger generations. It’s almost too easy to place a bet on sports. There’s a seemingly endless stream of apps and websites for the consumer to choose from. If you prefer player props, there’s an app for that. If you like 10-leg parlays, there’s an app for that. If you prefer to just bet on the moneyline, well, you can practically do that anywhere.
It’s difficult to police and regulate, and complicated even more when considering cases like that of Brendan Sorsby. Sorsby was an American college football quarterback that formerly played for the Indiana Hoosiers and Cincinnati Bearcats. During the offseason, he transferred to suit up for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but a betting scandal threatened to derail this.
After being reprimanded by Texas Tech, that was preceded by an investigation by a sportsbook, Sorsby was ruled as ineligible for the 2026 season because of his past gambling. Sorsby was a premiere transfer portal target—the Red Raiders reportedly spent in the ballpark of $5 million to lure him to Lubbock, Texas. He was set up to be an elite quarterback that Texas Tech lacked a season ago.
Sorsby started making bets while at Indiana when he was a redshirt in 2022—betting on the team and his teammates. However, he quit a few weeks before making his first career appearance.
Sorsby continued to gamble after this, though he never gambled on the Hoosiers again. The same could be said after he transferred to Cincinnati and, later, Texas Tech. In total, Sorsby bet roughly $90,000.
Because of this, Sorsby was not expected to play in the 2026 season as punishment. Rumors even swirled that he may enter the NFL supplemental draft.
But after a judge’s surprise ruling in favor of Sorsby, it seems like the Red Raiders now have their quarterback available again. He was given a temporary injunction, which would conveniently allow him to play the season for Texas Tech. Sorsby will be suspended for the first two games of the season, but those are against lowly Abilene Christian and Oregon State, respectively.
Outcries came from every corner of the college football world, and rightly so. Sorsby bet on his own team and continued to gamble on other sports. The NCAA has very clear rules when it comes to athletes gambling: don’t do it. It’s equally specific regarding gambling on one’s own team: don’t do it.
Conference commissioners, athletic directors, and entire programs have denounced the ruling. Some conferences and teams are flirting with the idea of a sport-wide Texas Tech boycott. That is, they wouldn’t schedule the Red Raiders in any sport as a form of protest. The NCAA did file an appeal to this ruling, but it is unknown just how successful it will be
Sorsby may eventually face some sort of punishment once the injunction ends, but by the time it happens, it won’t even matter. The season will have ended, and his eligibility will have already run out. The punishment—losing eligibility—will have a null effect.
This fiasco reveals a lot about college sports and sports in general. The NCAA has been proven to be a relatively powerless institution in this instance—they are a toothless organization. Add this to the list of missteps surrounding NIL and the transfer portal, and it’s like watching something die in real time. If the NCAA can’t enforce or administer their rules, then why even call them rules? At this point, they’re suggestions more than anything else.
And what message does it send to other athletes? That if you gamble on your own team, you can suffer little to no consequences? Prior college athletes who have gambled on other sports have faced much harsher penalties. Does this case set a new precedent?
And then there are the micro questions within the macro situation. Aside from the obvious doom and gloom hovering over this whole proceeding, I am morbidly interested in what will happen this year. Texas Tech should be a very good football team. Can you imagine what would happen if the Red Raiders won the national championship? The American institution that is college football may burst into flames. Sorsby was a solid, if not great, quarterback for a mediocre Cincinnati team. He would project to be much better for Texas Tech with a stronger supporting cast. What if Sorsby is a Heisman candidate? Would the NCAA even allow him to win the award?
There really is no conceivable way that this situation is resolved with any clarity. Even if the NCAA’s appeal works, the damage has been done.
