Nelson Brands spent years building one of the best wrestling careers in Iowa Hawkeyes history. The one-time All-American and a two-time Academic All-American had 59 wins across his career. Then the NCAA took a season away from him over three $5 bets.

A Texas judge just granted Brendan Sorsby a preliminary injunction to play the 2026 season. He got a two-game suspension despite placing $90,000 in wagers over four years, including bets on his own team at Indiana while on the roster.

"And three $5 bets on Iowa Football got me BANNED???" Brands wrote on X, sharing ESPN's report on Sorsby's ruling.

Brands' bets were on Iowa football over/under totals. They were not on his own sport. They were not on his own team. He still lost his season of eligibility.

The contrast is hard to ignore. Brands placed three casual bets that were not even connected to wrestling. Sorsby bet on the sport he played, including on games his own team was playing. Yet, the NCAA was forced to let Sorsby get away with a slap on the wrist.

Brands was eventually reinstated by the NCAA in May 2024 and competed during the 2024-25 season. He is now an assistant coach at Cal Poly. But the frustration of watching what just happened with Sorsby clearly did not go away.

The 2023 Iowa g******* investigation caught more than a dozen athletes using geolocation data from their phones. It was wide-reaching, and the consequences were real for everyone swept up in it.

What Happened to Others Caught in The Same Iowa Probe

Hunter Dekkers was Iowa State's starting quarterback in 2022. He placed approximately 366 bets totaling $2,799, including a single $15 wager on an Iowa State game when he was on the roster but did not play. The NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible in February 2024.

He spent 2023 without any football appearances. He then played one season at Iowa Western Community College just to keep his career alive. That is what one $15 bet on his own team cost him.

Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell did not sugarcoat it when ESPN asked him about it at Big 12 media days.

"It was a really s***** situation," Campbell told ESPN. "You can make an argument, was the punishment right or wrong, it's not our decision. They did make a bad choice. What it costs them is up for debate for everybody."

Just like in Brands' case, a glaring discrepancy can be seen in the degree of punishment. While Dekkers bet $2,799 and lost everything, Sorsby is still getting nine conference games this fall despite betting $90,000 across four years.

Do you think Sorsby's win against the NCAA's original ruling was fair? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit