Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby filed for an injunction against the NCAA on Monday, seeking to preserve his eligibility for the 2026 college football season while challenging penalties tied to gambling violations.
The lawsuit, filed in district court in Lubbock County, Texas, argues that the NCAA has taken a “deeply hypocritical” stance on gambling and accuses the organization of a “wholesale abandonment of its obligations and duties to promote the well-being” of Sorsby, ESPN reported.
Sorsby, who is undergoing inpatient treatment for a gambling addiction, is currently ineligible to compete for Texas Tech because of violations of NCAA sports betting rules. The NCAA prohibits athletes from betting on NCAA-sanctioned sports, whether collegiate or professional, with severe penalties possible for wagers involving a player’s own team.
“The NCAA has weaponized his condition to shore up a facade of competitive integrity, while simultaneously profiting from the very gambling ecosystem it polices,” the filing states, per ESPN.
The NCAA said Monday it had not yet received a reinstatement request tied to the case.
“The Association’s sports betting rules are clear, as are the reinstatement conditions,” the NCAA said in a statement, per ESPN. “When it comes to betting on one’s own team, these rules must be enforced in every case for the simple reason that the integrity of the game is at risk. Every sports league has these protections in place, and the NCAA will continue to apply them equally because every student-athlete competing deserves to know they’re playing a fair game.”
Later Monday, Texas Tech announced Sorsby had officially been declared “ineligible for competition” after the university, the NCAA, and Sorsby finalized what the school described as “an agreed-upon stipulation of facts.” The university said it plans to “quickly initiate the reinstatement process” while continuing to prioritize Sorsby’s health.
Sorsby’s attorneys, Jeffrey Kessler and Scott Tompsett, argue the quarterback faces “irreparable harm” if the court does not intervene quickly. The filing asks the court to block the NCAA from enforcing gambling bylaws against Sorsby and seeks permission for him to “participate fully” for Texas Tech during the 2026 season.
“The relief is narrow: one student-athlete and one senior season,” the filing states. “The NCAA will suffer no cognizable harm from letting Mr. Sorsby play football while this case proceeds.”
Sorsby has been in residential treatment since late April after revealing he placed thousands of sports wagers. According to the filing, he suffers from a “clinically diagnosed” gambling disorder.
In an affidavit included with the lawsuit, Sorsby said being separated from football activities could further harm both his recovery and career development.
“If I cannot practice with the team, it will be severely detrimental to my mental health and my development as an athlete,” Sorsby said. “Without access to coaching, teammates, and on-field repetitions, I cannot develop the chemistry and skills necessary to start at quarterback in the 2026 season.”
The filing says Sorsby offered to accept a two-game suspension after completing treatment and proposed working with the NCAA to educate others about gambling addiction. His attorneys contend that the NCAA has delayed the reinstatement process by repeatedly requesting additional interviews and records, despite Sorsby’s admission of wrongdoing.
“Instead of exercising compassion, the NCAA has responded with silence, repeated information demands, and delay,” the filing states.
According to court documents, Sorsby admitted to placing small wagers ranging from $5 to $50 on Indiana football games while he was on the Hoosiers roster, though he did not play in those contests. He said the bets were placed on Indiana to win or for teammates to perform well.
“To be clear, I never placed any bets ‘against’ Indiana or against any players on the team,” Sorsby said in the affidavit. “I never used any non-public information that I knew about the team in deciding what bets to place.”
He added that his gambling eventually escalated far beyond football.
“In retrospect, by the end of my freshman year at Indiana, I was truly addicted to gambling,” Sorsby said, per ESPN. “I began placing hundreds of bets on anything and everything, including non-major doubles tennis tournaments and the Major League Baseball draft.”
The lawsuit requests a hearing by June 15, citing the June 22 deadline to declare for the NFL supplemental draft. Sorsby’s attorneys argue the NCAA’s delays are forcing him into what they described as an “impossible bind” between pursuing professional opportunities and preserving college eligibility.
Sorsby transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech after throwing for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions last season. He is projected to be among the highest-paid players in college football next season and is viewed as a potential prospect for the 2027 NFL draft.
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire previously voiced support for Sorsby after the quarterback stepped away from the team earlier this year.
“We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help,” McGuire said, per CBS Sports. “Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person.”
