A court in Lubbock, Texas, has granted Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction against the NCAA.
Meaning, the transfer quarterback who signed a lucrative NIL deal with Texas Tech before a USA Today article revealed his extensive gambling activity is now free to rejoin the Red Raiders.
Lubbock judge Ken Curry ruled that Sorsby will serve a two-game suspension to start the year, as was suggested by his legal team. However, he is eligible to return on September 18 for the start of Big 12 conference play against Houston.
Curry determined that Sorsby would suffer “probable, imminent, and irreparable injury” if he were not allowed to participate in college athletics while his gambling case proceeds through the legal system. The judge cited Sorsby’s inability to avail himself of Texas Tech’s high-level workout facility and coaching staff, a factor that would leave him ill-prepared for the NFL’s 2026 Supplementary Draft.
The NCAA took swift and strong action against Sorsby after it was revealed that he had placed thousands of bets over the course of at least four years, including wagers on his own team when he was a backup quarterback at Indiana. The NCAA strictly prohibits players from betting on their own team or any other within their athletic department.
Unsurprisingly, the NCAA took strong exception to Judge Curry’s ruling.
“The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby’s case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports,” the statement said. “The NCAA is committed 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’s own sport.”
Sorsby is eligible to return to the Texas Tech football program immediately, and, for now, the NCAA is forbidden from preventing his return. The NCAA is expected to file an immediate appeal of Curry’s decision, though there are concerns that the appeals process could be extensive and the 2026-2027 college football season could be over before its appeal is heard.