On May 18, Brendan Sorsby, a Texas Tech quarterback, filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the NCAA in a Texas Court, seeking eligibility for the 2026 college football season.

He is currently under an NCAA investigation, and the college football governing body made a public statement about his lawsuit. 

“The NCAA has not received a reinstatement request for this case,” Pete Thamel reported on May 19.

According to a May 18 report by The Athletic, “Sorsby is under investigation by the NCAA for gambling violations, including bets he placed on Indiana football while Sorsby was a member of the Hoosiers in 2022.”

“The NCAA generally doesn't comment on pending reinstatement requests, but the Association's sports betting rules are clear, as are the reinstatement conditions. 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,” the NCAA further added.

In his affidavit, Sorsby admitted to “placing small bets on the Indiana football team, typically in amounts between $5 and $50” in 2022. He was a true freshman at the time, competing on the scout team.

The 22-year-old also justified his injunction claim, stating that “with several quarterbacks ahead of me on the team’s depth chart, there was no reasonable chance that I would play.”

The filing for the injunction seeking eligibility was made in the Lubbock County district court, Texas. According to ESPN, it cites the NCAA's “deeply hypocritical” position on gambling and a “wholesale abandonment of its obligations and duties to promote the [Sorsby's] well-being." 

The NCAA prohibits student-athletes from betting on any NCAA-sanctioned sport, whether collegiate or professional. A student-athlete can be penalized by permanent ineligibility if they wagered on their own teams or manipulated performance. 

According to USA Today, Sorsby also placed bets on Major League Baseball, UFC, tennis, Romanian soccer, Turkish basketball, and “even the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.”

The legal challenge could set a massive precedent for how the NCAA handles future gambling violations.

What Are The Implications Of Brendan Sorsby’s Lawsuit

During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Pete Thamel weighed in on Bredon Sorsby’s lawsuit against the NCAA. 

“I don't think there's a bigger story in college football than the status and eligibility of Brendan Sorsby,” he said on May 19. “They basically want to say that the NCAA should have no jurisdiction over ruling on Brendan Sorsby and he would be eligible to play.”

Trey Wallace, a senior FOX reporter, has raised concerns over the result of this lawsuit. 

“The NCAA didn’t create Brendan Sorsby’s gambling problem. In this case, a judge in Lubbock, Texas, could set a horrible precedent if he rules in the favor of Sorsby,” he wrote on May 19. “As bad as I feel for someone who is battling an addiction of this magnitude, the rules were broken, even if they came to light years later.”

In his affidavit, Sorsby revealed the reasons behind placing bets.

“My bets were purely intended to make me feel more connected to the game and my teammates and to give me more of a reason to root for my teammates.”

If Sorsby wins, he remains eligible to play this season. However, if he loses, declaring for the NFL’s supplemental draft is reportedly his next best option to continue playing football.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit