The NFL delivered a clear message to quarterback Brendan Sorsby on Tuesday: there will be no supplemental draft this year. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the league told Sorsby he should instead set his sights on entering the NFL through next year’s regular draft.
Sorsby had sought entry into the supplemental draft following a prolonged dispute with the NCAA, which permanently banned him from college athletics after finding he had placed thousands of bets on sporting events — totaling at least $90,000 — throughout his college career. Among those wagers were at least 40 bets placed on Indiana games during his freshman year there in 2022, though none of those bets involved games in which he personally played for the team.
NFL attorney Lawrence P. Ferazani Jr. spelled out the league’s reasoning in the letter, writing: “The League has not conducted such a draft for several years and, prior to your submission, the League had no plans to do so this year, as no other player has sought entry. Your Petition — filed three business days before the deadline, without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctions — does not provide a basis for the League to alter those plans. The issues presented by your Petition are too significant, and too closely tied to the League’s core integrity interests, to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented.”
The letter also included this guidance for the 22-year-old quarterback: “We encourage you to focus on preparing for possible entry into the NFL through the 2027 NFL Annual Draft.”
The deadline to apply for the supplemental draft had been Monday. Sorsby had previously planned to hold a workout for NFL teams on July 10.
Sorsby’s path to this point has been a turbulent one. He transferred earlier this year from Cincinnati to Texas Tech, only to be removed from competition by the NCAA because of his gambling history. He then spent a month in a residential treatment program after being diagnosed with a gambling addiction that contributed to the extensive betting activity.
After completing that program, Sorsby took legal action against the NCAA and secured a court-ordered reinstatement to play at Texas Tech. That move triggered widespread backlash directed at the university, ultimately pushing Sorsby to pursue the supplemental draft — a process that has not actually been used to select a player since 2019.
Ferazani’s letter also addressed the substance of Sorsby’s petition directly: “The sole reasons identified in your Petition for seeking entry into the Supplemental Draft are that you have been ‘declared ineligible’ by the NCAA, have ‘exhausted all of (your) avenues to continue in the NCAA,’ and ‘want to now play in the NFL.’ The Petition provides no information regarding the basis for, or timing of, the NCAA’s decision. Public sources, however, indicate that in May 2026 the NCAA issued a determination declaring you permanently ineligible from participation in college athletics, based on a sustained pattern of improper gambling activity during your collegiate career at three different universities.”
With the supplemental draft off the table, Sorsby will have to wait until next year for his first opportunity to enter the NFL.
