Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby opts for NFL after Big 12 lawsuit pressure, PR drama
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After a seven-day battle that spanned multiple courtrooms, Brendan Sorsby has decided he will not play college football at Texas Tech this season.
The decision came the same day the Big 12 filed a lawsuit in Texas federal court seeking to give Texas Tech the authority to sanction Texas Tech for playing the quarterback this season despite the NCAA ruling him ineligible to play.
Over the past three months, Sorsby has been embroiled in an NCAA investigation tied to thousands of bets placed during his college career, some of which came while he was on the roster at Indiana. These bets were flagged by law enforcement, who then turned them over to the NCAA.
Big 12 files lawsuit against Texas Tech seeking court approval to sanction school over Brendan Sorsby
Over the past few weeks, Sorsby has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Lubbock district court, where he was granted an injunction that will allow him to play for the Red Raiders this season. Then there was backlash from college athletics, and the Big 12 conference looked for ways to punish Texas Tech.
Sorsby’s lawsuit is expected to be dismissed Tuesday morning, sources tell OutKick. The school will also continue to support the quarterback in his battle with gambling addiction off the field.
Additionally, Texas Tech officials will not seek a refund of money already paid to Sorsby, with sources noting that the quarterback has already taken home a significant amount of winnings.
Cody Campbell, president of the Board of Trustees, released a statement Monday night confirming those details.
“Texas Tech will not seek a refund of amounts already paid to Brendan through his NIL agreements with the University,” Campbell said.
Future Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby yells during the first half of the game between the Houston Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on January 24, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
This situation quickly spiraled out of control for the Red Raiders
The unfortunate part for everyone involved was how far Texas Tech went down the route of potentially getting him on the field this season. Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Big 12 officials warning that if the conference punished the school for playing Sorsby, the state would also sue them.
What followed was a scathing letter from Sorsby’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, threatening to sue the Big 12 conference on behalf of Texas Tech if any punishment was imposed by the conference.
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby of the Cincinnati Bearcats speaks to the media during Big 12 Media Day at the Ford Center at The Star on July 8, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
To further complicate the situation, Texas Tech officials released a 21-minute video last week; In this video, some railings placed for Sorsby were passed over when the injunction was issued.
The video was clearly not well received, and officials at Texas Tech were facing tremendous backlash from opposing conference leaders in the Big 12.
Pressure intensifies on Sorsby and Texas Tech after Big 12 files lawsuit
The conversation has shifted in Lubbock in the past 24 hours as the school knows Big 12 officials are preparing to file a federal lawsuit regarding Sorsby.
Those in Sorsby’s inner circle were starting to feel the pressure to go ahead and enter his name into the NFL Supplemental Draft and not have to deal with a lot of pressure that wasn’t going away anytime soon.
“I have no idea why they were trying to justify it last week, it didn’t make any sense. The amount of heat the young man was taking and what was still to come, it just wasn’t worth the hassle,” an athletic director from the Power Four told OutKIck. “Texas Tech should have made this decision on its own when it first faced the NCAA, which is why we use language in revenue sharing and NIL agreements that also ties into NCAA rules.
“Once the school found out the rules were broken, that should have been the end of the conversation.”
Brendan Sorsby of the Cincinnati Bearcats looks on before the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 1, 2025. (Bryan Byerly/ISI Photos)
WITH NCAA CHALLENGE RESTRICTED, BRENDAN SORSBY ADMITS TO BEtting AROUND $90,000 ON HIS COLLEGE CAREER
In reality, Texas Tech overplayed its hand on this one, and the last few days have made it even worse, including Cody Campbell appearing on the Dan Dakich show and trying to compare the situation to the fallout with Jerry Sandusky at Penn State.
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Now, despite all the damage this has caused over the last few weeks, Sorsby will continue his professional career. Texas Tech, meanwhile, will do whatever it takes to repair whatever broken relationships this has caused in the Big 12.
For Brendan Sorsby, the focus will be on his ongoing battle with gambling addiction while also preparing himself for life outside of college football.
