On Monday, June 8, a Lubbock County court granted Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction upholding a two-game suspension. A number of athletic directors have criticized the decision and are reportedly discussing the possibility of avoiding matchups with the Big 12 program.

Sorsby was declared ineligible by the NCAA in May for placing bets on college sports, including his own team, the Indiana Hoosiers, in 2022. Although the injunction permits him to play for the Red Raiders next season, a number of Big 12 programs have voiced concerns about the outcome.

Kansas State Athletic Director Gene Taylor and Josh Brooks of the University of Georgia shared their opinions. 

“We’ve had some serious conversation about it,” shared Taylor with Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. “There is still a lot to be discussed. We aren’t scheduled to play them this year, but it’s something we have to look at from a college football perspective. This is greater than the Big 12.”

Taylor said he understands the player may be dealing with personal challenges, but he believes athletes who wager on their own team are generally punished more severely.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio shared that individual teams deciding not to play with Texas Tech would have wide-ranging repercussions and ramifications. It would include the issue of ticket refunds and TV rights, plus other litigation to follow. 

Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks considered it a need to uphold competitive integrity for student-athletes. 

“I think there needs to be serious conversations about not playing Texas Tech in any sports,” said Brooks to Dellanger hinting a boycott. “This is not about Texas Tech. It’s about protecting our own locker room. We cannot, in good conscience, put our student-athletes on a field where the competitive integrity of the contest is compromised and overridden by the courts.”

Other than Kansas State and Georgia, Colorado's new director of athletics, Fernando Lovo, issued a statement with a similar tone. He believes that while athlete welfare is important, accountability must remain a priority.

Unlike Kansas State, which will not be facing off against Texas Tech this season, Colorado hosts the Red Raiders on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Meanwhile, the NCAA appealed the Sorsby ruling.

NCAA and Texas Tech Remain Divided Over Sorsby’s Eligibility

The NCAA released a statement on Monday saying that it “strongly disagrees” with the ruling. The NCAA is concerned about the “damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications” of the court outcome that “undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports”.

Per David Ubben of The Athletic, Texas Tech’s Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt said that the university remains committed to Sorsby’s recovery after his release from a month-long rehab for gambling addiction. 

“As we have said before, we do not believe that the circumstances of Brendan’s case warranted permanent ineligibility,” said Hocutt. “A comprehensive support structure, including clinical care, monitoring and compliance checks, will fully remain in place for the duration of Brendan’s time as a student at Texas Tech.”

While Sorsby now appears to be eligible to play starting September 18, Big 12 opener against the Houston Cougars, several Big 12 teams are considering refusing to play against Texas Tech with Sorsby on the roster.

How do you think Sorsby's return will impact the Big 12 conference? Share your thoughts.

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Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar