{"id":132315,"date":"2026-06-08T16:12:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T22:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/brendan-sorsby-gets-injunction-vs-ncaa-and-could-play-for-texas-tech-after-gambling-ineligibility\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T23:04:19","slug":"judge-clears-qb-brendan-sorsby-to-play-for-texas-tech-despite-ncaa-ban-for-gambling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/judge-clears-qb-brendan-sorsby-to-play-for-texas-tech-despite-ncaa-ban-for-gambling\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge clears QB Brendan Sorsby to play for Texas Tech despite NCAA ban for gambling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FILE
FILE – Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) walks off the field after a NCAA college football game against Baylor, Oct. 25, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo\/Tanner Pearson, file)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Tanner Pearson, file)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Texas judge granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction that clears the way for him to play this fall despite being declared ineligible by the NCAA<\/a> for wagering on college sports, including bets made on his own team while he was at Indiana.<\/p>\n

The decision sent shock waves across college sports since bans for gambling are a bedrock rule of the NCAA and in many professional sports.<\/p>\n

The NCAA said it strongly disagrees with the ruling and \u201cis deeply concerned<\/a> about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome \u2014 which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports.\u201d There was no immediate word on an appeal, though one is expected.<\/p>\n

Sorsby, whose school said he has a gambling problem<\/a> that he is addressing through treatment, will miss the Red Raiders\u2019 first two games next season under a judge-approved penalty that had been proposed by his attorneys. The NCAA, which usually handles such punishments, was not involved.<\/p>\n

The ruling by Judge Ken Curry prevents the NCAA from being able to block the transfer QB’s eligibility for what will be his final college season with a team among the favorites to win the Big 12 Conference and return to the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season.<\/p>\n

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the ramifications of the ruling \u201ccould have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership.\u201d He called a meeting this week of his league’s athletic directors and executive board, and been in touch with NCAA President Charlie Baker ahead of the expected appeal.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech opens the season on Sept. 5 at home against Abilene Christian. The Red Raiders then play Oregon State before their Big 12 opener at home on Sept. 18 against Houston.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very grateful for the endless support I have received throughout this entire process,\u201d Sorsby posted on social media. \u201cI am also grateful for the chance to rejoin my teammates. This opportunity comes with the responsibility to remain focused on my personal growth, the ability to learn from this experience, and to be able to use my situation to help others going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge’s ruling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Curry held a two-hour hearing last week in the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, where Texas Tech is located. In his decision, he wrote that he agreed Sorsby would suffer \u201ca probable, imminent and irreparable injury\u201d if he cannot practice or play for the Red Raiders.<\/p>\n

The injunction comes with conditions that Sorsby must continue counseling for his gambling and to participate in peer support through Gamblers Anonymous or a similar group. He also must continue treatment to address \u201cthe underlying anxiety that served as the primary driver of (his) gambling behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said a comprehensive support structure, including clinical care, monitoring and compliance checks, will remain fully in place for Sorsby during his time at the school.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we have said before, we do not believe that the circumstances of Brendan\u2019s case warranted permanent ineligibility,\u201d Hocutt said. \u201cAs he returns to our football program, we remain committed to supporting Brendan\u2019s recovery and ensuring his compliance with the court\u2019s order.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor told Yahoo Sports he was disappointed by the ruling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is absolutely devastating for him to be able to play when every other sport, no matter the level, deems an athlete ineligible or they are punished severely for betting on their team,\u201d he told the outlet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there needs to be serious conversations about not playing Texas Tech in any sports,\u201d Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks, a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, told Yahoo Sports. \u201cIf a state court wants to dictate eligibility rules, they can play themselves. … We\u2019ve officially reached the point of no return.\u201d<\/p>\n

A significant setback against the NCAA<\/strong><\/p>\n

NCAA attorney Taylor Askew had said during the hearing that allowing Sorsby to play another college season would provide \u201creputable harm\u201d to the governing body.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaying the NCAA is now the first league in America that allows you, without punishment, to bet on its own contests, that\u2019s a reputable harm to the NCAA,\u201d Askew told the court. \u201cThis would be the first league in America that does that. … We should not say for the first time serial gambling is OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Court records show that Sorsby has acknowledged making thousands of impermissible bets totaling at least $90,000<\/a> during his time at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. That included 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there in 2022, though none on any of the games he played in with the Hoosiers.<\/p>\n

While some guidelines for penalties related to gambling have changed in recent years, NCAA rules still call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team.<\/p>\n

Sorsby was at Indiana for two seasons before the past two at Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

The Texas native transferred in January to Texas Tech for a reported multimillion-dollar deal<\/a>. The Red Raiders brought him in to be the starting quarterback when trying to defend their first Big 12 title and return to the CFP.<\/p>\n

What led to the NCAA investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to court filings, on March 11 the NCAA received a tip about Sorsby\u2019s gambling activity from an online gambling book, which had been informed by law enforcement. Texas Tech was notified April 14 that an investigation<\/a> was underway by the NCAA.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who negotiated the $2.8 billion House settlement against the NCAA<\/a> and now represents Sorsby, told the court that the 22-year-old quarterback has a diagnosed addiction and anxiety-driven compulsion. Sorsby recently completed a monthlong stay in a residential treatment program in Arizona that he entered after the start of the NCAA\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n

According to a clinician who treated Sorsby, Kessler said, not allowing the quarterback to play would hurt his mental health and hamper his recovery.<\/p>\n

The NCAA in its statement Monday said it is \u201ccommitted to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one\u2019s own sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawsuit and NCAA appeals<\/strong><\/p>\n

The injunction came in Sorsby\u2019s lawsuit filed May 18 against the NCAA seeking the restoration of his eligibility. That case was initially assigned to District Judge Phillip Hays, a Lubbock native and Texas Tech graduate who later recused himself. Curry is a retired judge from Tarrant County, nearly 300 miles away.<\/p>\n

Since the filing of that lawsuit, the NCAA has twice denied Texas Tech\u2019s petition<\/a> to restore the quarterback\u2019s eligibility.<\/p>\n

When the school on May 26 revealed the first denial and its intent to appeal, university president Lawrence Schovanec wrote in a letter to the Texas Tech community<\/a> that the school felt \u201cthe NCAA\u2019s ruling should be reversed or modified.\u201d<\/p>\n

That comment illustrates the difficult landscape for the NCAA, which has lost multiple court cases challenging rules that were put in place by the very schools that make up its membership. Many focus on eligibility, with athletes contending they should be allowed to play and continue to earn money that was made available under the House ruling.<\/p>\n

The NCAA is on the verge of approving a new eligibility model<\/a> following meetings among stakeholders and even President Donald Trump.<\/a> The NCAA continues to also seek limited antitrust protections from Congress<\/a> in hopes of eliminating or at least smoothing the state-by-state rulings that have thrown the industry into chaos.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no better example of why targeted intervention from Congress is necessary,\u201d Baker said on social media after the ruling. \u201cWhen you have schools and deep-pocketed supporters willing to look the other way on the glaring integrity threat of betting on your own team \u2014 and judges whose rulings effectively strip away our ability to stop them \u2014 only Congress can equip the NCAA to apply this common sense rule to everyone fairly and consistently. The Protect College Sports Act<\/a> would empower the NCAA to enforce rules including the gambling restrictions \u2014 it\u2019s needed now more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP college football: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-football-poll<\/a> and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-football<\/a><\/p>\n

\"FILE
FILE – Quarterback Brendan Sorsby attends an NCAA college basketball game between Texas Tech and Houston, Jan. 24, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo\/Annie Rice, file)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Annie Rice, file)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

– Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) walks off the field after a NCAA college football game against Baylor, Oct. 25, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo\/Tanner Pearson, file)(AP Photo\/Tanner Pearson, file) A Texas judge granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction that clears the way for him to play this fall despite being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5734],"tags":[],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-132315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-associated-press"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132315"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132368,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132315\/revisions\/132368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=132315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}