The NCAA denied Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s request for reinstatement for eligibility following his 35-day inpatient rehab for gambling addiction.
Sorsby will not be eligible for the coming 2026 season should the NCAA’s ruling stand. He has since filed for a temporary injunction, which “would feasibly allow him to play out the 2026 college football season while the NCAA’s usually lengthy investigation process plays out behind the scenes,” per on3. His legal team argues that the NCAA’s ruling would harm the quarterback’s mental health.
His eligibility case against the NCAA has been assigned a temporary injunction hearing set for 9 a.m. CT, June 1, according to Nakos. The June 1 hearing date falls in line with Sorsby’s requested timeline ahead of the June 22 deadline to declare for the NFL Supplemental Draft. Earlier this month, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Supplemental Draft could be an option for Sorsby. No player has been selected in an NFL Supplemental Draft since 2019.
Sorsby’s lawsuit, filed last Monday in Lubbock County District Court, is viewed as an attempt to expedite the NCAA investigative process into his admitted gambling activities between 2022-25. Sorsby recently retained famous antitrust lawyer and NCAA nemesis Jeffrey Kessler, who was among the lead attorneys in the landmark Alston v. NCAA and House v. NCAA cases over the past few years, both of which resulted in significant losses for the NCAA and ushered in widespread changes to college athletics.
This past April, Sorsby took an immediate leave of absence for gambling addiction, having previously placed bets on Indiana during his 2022 season in the Hoosier state and also on the Cincinnati Reds. His addiction has not caused him any legal troubles as of yet. According to the 2023 NCAA guidelines, student-athletes are barred from wagering on their own games or other sports at their own schools.