Texas Tech athletics defended its athletics a controversial decision allowing quarterback Brendan Sorsby to return to campus in a lengthy video. In a statement accompanying its president, athletics director and head coach, the athletic department outlined why it stood by Sorsby despite admitting to NCAA gambling violations.
In the video, Texas Tech officials say Sorsby’s return to campus as a member of the football team will help support his recovery from a clinically diagnosed gambling addiction.
“We have a long way to go before we think about when he will play football again,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “We have been working with him for a long time to help him in this practice and face many different things in his life. Right now, our priority is to return to this place with his teammates, people who love him and care about him, and face football.”
In official filings, Sorsby admitted to placing several thousand bets over four years, including many on Indiana athletics while he was a redshirting athlete. Betting on your team or athletic department is grounds for permanent disqualification under NCAA rules.
Sorsby received an injunction from the Lubbock County District Court on Monday that prevents the NCAA from applying any sanctions while it awaits its full trial in February 2027. The full trial is scheduled for two weeks after the national championship game, when Sorsby’s college career will end. As part of the order, Sorsby will receive a two-game suspension.
Criticism of Judge Curry’s decision was swift in all corners of college athletics. Georgia and Nebraska have publicly announced that they will not schedule Texas Tech in any game going forward. The 12 principals met to consider punishing Texas Tech or Sorsby. On Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton informed the Big 12 that any such attempt would be met with federal legal action.
Back on campus
After the NCAA denied Sorsby’s request for reinstatement, Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec wrote a lengthy letter expressing his public support for the quarterback. In it, he argued that Texas Tech’s addiction recovery center and campus support would help Sorsby. At that time, there was no guarantee that he would be properly governed.
“Our concern for him was sincere,” said Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec. “We didn’t know what the outcome would be [of the hearing] it can be. We were just accepting him and expecting him to play, we just thought this is the place for you. Our support for him is unwavering.”
After spending five weeks in a rehab facility in Arizona, Sorsby returned home to the Dallas area and later returned to Lubbock. He was not in court on June 4, when his senior attorneys contested his eligibility.
Texas Tech executive director of athletics Grant Stovall outlined some of the key conditions Sorsby will be asked to meet upon his return to campus. A number of measures were laid out in the court order issued on Monday, including ongoing individual and group treatment for gambling addiction.
Additionally, Sorsby will have ongoing monitoring of his technology devices, including software installed by Texas Tech to block gambling sites. He will also have ongoing monitoring of his equipment and a custodian to oversee his finances. Hours after Sorsby’s fitness was restored, he reported to the sports department’s IT services that monitoring software had been installed on his phone.
Key questions
Texas Tech has stood by Sorsby for the past six weeks, even after the NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible. But while officials make a sound case for why the school can support him in his recovery, the debate over whether he should return to work is fierce.
In his own words, Sorsby has an anxiety disorder. After the attention surrounding the case, he is now the most watched player in college football. President Schovanec also noted that part of his return to campus is to help prepare him for his future endeavors.
“We’re starting to treat his diagnosis, and we’re committed to supporting him as he pursues the career he’s spent his entire life working toward,” Schovanec said. “That’s what we do at Texas Tech.”
However, Sorsby will still be able to continue playing professional football without returning to campus. In fact, he could enter the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft and possibly even make the roster this fall.
Granted, Sorsby has yet to participate in an actual practice or game since being reinstated. As McGuire points out, he’s still more than three months away from being eligible to take his first live snap.
“He it can be play, that’s what the judge said,” McGuire said. “What we’re trying to do is get him to a healthy place where he feels good about what he’s doing and can deal with this addiction, and that’s day by day.”
But with all the money and pressure involved, do we really have a choice?
McGuire told the story of Sorsby’s parents calling him on Monday after he came down with the flu. They asked if Texas Tech would be okay. Even with the Big 12’s biggest partners upset, it’s a question the athletic department should keep thinking about.
