Cleveland’s first-year head coach Todd Monken believes the team should avoid potential risks if they consider selecting Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby in a possible NFL supplemental draft, given his loss of college eligibility due to gambling violations.
Speaking personally rather than for the Cleveland organization, Monken described pursuing Sorsby as a “slippery slope” despite the player’s demonstrated abilities and talent level.
“I don’t think we’re in a position to want to go down that road,” Monken stated during the Browns Foundation Golf Tournament. “That’s my opinion. That’s not (general manager Andrew Berry’s).”
“I like the quarterbacks that we have. I think that’s a slippery slope when you go down that, irrespective of talent, right?” Monken added. “In terms of the situation he’s (put) himself in, we all know what that is. He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players that have been banned for life from playing in professional sports.”
“But from my end of it, kind of a tough angle to go down that road and think that’s going to be your franchise quarterback if he’s ever eligible to even play in the NFL,” he concluded.
After transferring from Cincinnati during the offseason, Sorsby was expected to be Texas Tech’s starting quarterback for 2026. ESPN rated him as the top transfer in this year’s class.
However, Sorsby’s college career hit a roadblock when extensive betting activity caused the NCAA to strip his eligibility in April and reject his reinstatement appeal in May. NCAA regulations forbid athletes and staff from placing wagers on NCAA championship events, including football.
While Sorsby pursues a court injunction to compete in 2026, entering the NFL’s supplemental draft remains a backup plan if legal efforts fail.
When questioned about Sorsby on Tuesday, Cleveland’s general manager Berry provided a less definitive response than his coach.
“No different than we do every year,” Berry commented. “We’ll do the work on all the prospects, and then we’ll make the appropriate decision for the organization.”
Cleveland’s current quarterback roster features veteran Deshaun Watson, second-year players Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, plus 2026 sixth-round selection Taylen Green.
Following Monday’s hearing in Lubbock County, Texas, Judge Ken Curry has not yet ruled on Sorsby’s temporary injunction request. Curry asked for additional paperwork before making his decision, which could come within days, ESPN reported.
Sorsby’s lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler, asked for a ruling by June 15 to give his client time to decide about applying for the NFL supplement draft, which has a June 22 application deadline.
During the hearing, Curry listened to arguments from both Sorsby’s legal team and the NCAA regarding whether the quarterback should return to competition after allegedly placing thousands of unauthorized bets on college and professional sports — including wagers on his former team at Indiana.
Court records show Sorsby made at least 40 bets on Indiana football during his redshirt freshman season with the Hoosiers.
These wagers ranged from $1 to $114, totaling at least $850 during September and October 2022 while he was redshirting. In correspondence with the NCAA, Sorsby stated he never wagered on games he participated in or bet against his own team.
Over four years, the quarterback placed approximately $90,000 in bets through sportsbook accounts registered under family members’ and friends’ names, with 2,900 bets worth more than $30,000 occurring between June 2022 and December 2023 alone. Recently, Sorsby disclosed completing a 35-day inpatient rehabilitation program in Arizona for “a diagnosed gambling addiction and anxiety disorder.”
NCAA attorney Taylor Askew argued Monday that granting an injunction would effectively make the collegiate organization the first U.S. sports league unable to penalize its athletes for betting on their own competitions.
The NFL last conducted a supplemental draft in 2019. Established in 1977, this process was designed to provide players facing “sudden eligibility changes” with a pathway from college to professional football. Nevertheless, the league would likely thoroughly examine the investigation into Sorsby’s off-field conduct before deciding whether to conduct the special draft in July.
