Some Big 12 officials are speaking out, saying they may refuse to play Texas Tech after this week’s court ruling allowing quarterback Brendan Sorsby to keep playing this season despite his admission that he wagered on his own team.
A judge in Lubbock Texas, ruled that the transfer quarterback who signed a lucrative NIL deal with Texas Tech but was then outed by USA Today for his extensive gambling record is now free to rejoin the Red Raiders. On the tail of the ruling, a number of Big 12 athletic directors and other officials said they are shocked and dismayed by the court’s decision and now fear for the integrity of the game, Yahoo Sports reports.
Already, Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor is telling the media that this ruling is a major problem.
“There is still a lot to be discussed. We aren’t scheduled to play them this year, but it’s something we have to look at from a college football perspective. This is greater than the Big 12,” Taylor told Yahoo Sports.
Like others, Taylor is worried that the integrity of college football is being compromised by allowing a quarterback who has admitted to placing dozens of bets on his own team while playing to keep playing. He also admitted to thousands of bets on other sports, both pro and college. This gambling habit clearly violates NCAA rules and would normally subject him to suspension. He likely even broke some state gambling laws. But Texas Judge Ken Curry’s ruling now bars punitive action against the player for now.
“It’s fucking bullshit,” an incensed Taylor told Yahoo Sports, “I know the kid has a problem. Well, get well and focus on your problem. It 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.”
Others have also expressed their outrage and concern.
Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks, a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, told Yahoo, “There needs to be serious conversations about not playing Texas Tech in any sports.”
“This is not about Texas Tech. It’s about protecting our own locker room. We cannot, in good conscience, put our student-athletes on a field where the competitive integrity of the contest is compromised and overridden by the courts. If a state court wants to dictate eligibility rules, they can play themselves,” he continued.
“All FBS schools should only take the field against programs operating under a uniform, trustworthy standard of fairness. We’ve officially reached the point of no return,” Brooks added.
Big West commissioner Dan Butterly said the ruling was “devastating” to college football.
“From what I understand, this individual bet on his own games, not unlike Pete Rose, but Pete got a lifetime ban,” Butterly exclaimed. “In this case, a Texas judge ruled a Texas Tech athlete gets to play.”
For his part, Jon Steinbrecher, the commissioner of the MAC and vice-chair of the NCAA Division I Cabinet, said that the ruling highlights the reason that the NCAA needs Congress to step up and give it the autonomy to make and enforce its own rules.
“The ruling speaks to the challenges we have in enforcing sensible rules,” Steinbrecher said. “We need help from the federal government that gives us some protection to enforce our rules.”
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