The NCAA rejected Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s reinstatement request on Tuesday, prompting the university’s president to promise an appeal of the decision.
Sorsby lost his eligibility following investigations that revealed he had wagered thousands of dollars on various sporting events through betting applications, which violates NCAA regulations.
When filing a legal injunction against the NCAA last week, Sorsby acknowledged placing the wagers, including at least one bet supporting Indiana football during his time with that team. While he stated he never wagered on games in which he participated or against his own teams, current NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes from betting on any NCAA-approved or professional sporting events. Athletes face potential lifetime bans for wagering on their own teams.
Sorsby’s lawsuit criticized what he described as the NCAA’s “deeply hypocritical” positions regarding sports betting. His legal team indicated they had requested a two-game suspension, which the NCAA rejected. Sorsby is now scheduled to appear in Lubbock County, Texas court on June 1 as he pursues eligibility for 2026.
After transferring to Texas Tech from Cincinnati during the offseason, Sorsby was expected to be the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback for 2026. ESPN had ranked him as the top transfer player in this year’s class.
In an open letter to the campus community Tuesday, Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec stated that the NCAA’s decision “should be reversed or modified” considering the circumstances and “context” surrounding Sorsby’s situation.
“As a generation of college athletes face the legalization and rapid proliferation of sports betting in our country, gambling addiction is rising to the point of epidemic among college aged men in particular,” Schovanec wrote. “The NCAA’s stated mission includes ‘fostering (student-athletes’) lifelong well-being,’ and they have claimed their goal is to promote a ‘culture of care’ for student athletes’ mental health. Gambling addiction is a clinically recognized behavioral disorder.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Sorsby announced through social media that he had finished a 35-day inpatient rehabilitation program in Arizona last Friday to address “a diagnosed gambling addiction and anxiety disorder.”
“While I accept responsibility for my behavior and know that I have a lot of work ahead of me, for the first time in many years I feel more free and no longer fully at the mercy of my addiction,” Sorsby wrote in part.
“With the support of my coaches, teammates and the university, I’m looking forward to returning to campus in Lubbock. If I’m blessed and fortunate enough to have the opportunity to continue my college career at Texas Tech, I know I will get the support I need, including through the school’s Center for Students in Addiction Recovery. I am deeply sorry to everyone I’ve disappointed and am committed to the hard and necessary work ahead.”
In his letter, Schovanec outlined Texas Tech’s commitment to providing Sorsby with “Ongoing outpatient clinical care; participation in group and individual therapy; mentor resources; treatment for his related anxiety disorder; active monitoring of his technological devices; installation of software to block betting sites from his devices; the appointment of a custodian to oversee his personal finances; and periodic compliance checks.”
