For the second time in as many days, a state attorney general has weighed in with their opinion on Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s court-mandated eligibility.
Oklahoma attorney general Gentner Drummond sent a letter to the Big 12 on Friday, strongly urging the conference to suspend Sorsby, who received a temporary injunction to be eligible for the 2026 season Monday after the NCAA originally ruled him ineligible.
The NCAA had reached that decision after court documents filed by Sorsby’s legal team showed the quarterback placed at least 40 bets on the Indiana football team while a member of the program in 2022 and 2023. In all, he wagered about $90,000 over a four-year period. He entered an addiction treatment program on April 27.
“(Texas Tech’s) actions in obtaining eligibility for Brendan Sorsby — an athlete the NCAA declared permanently ineligible for extensive wagering on college sports, including games involving his own team — have constituted a shameful chapter in the story of college football,” Drummond wrote. “Texas Tech has acted in a manner adverse to the Big 12 and the integrity of college football as a whole.
“(Texas Tech) has shirked responsibility by running with a bogus claim to a friendly court. Its leadership has prioritized winning over sport, over honor and over integrity. If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should. Texas Tech should be sanctioned.”
The office of Texas AG Ken Paxton wrote a letter to the Big 12 on Thursday which warned legal action against the conference if it were to overrule the court’s decision and deem Sorsby ineligible.
Drummond is advocating on behalf of Oklahoma State, which is set to host the Red Raiders on Nov. 14 in Stillwater, Okla. But he’s not the only Big 12-affiliated person upset with the court decision.
The 15 Big 12 athletic directors excluding Texas Tech met Tuesday and unanimously expressed their opposition to Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders. The conference presidents met Thursday and a full board meeting is scheduled for Monday, with the Big 12 pondering how to proceed.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement Thursday in the wake of Paxton’s letter that “all options remain on the table” with regard to Sorsby’s eligibility.
The NCAA went to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas in Amarillo, Texas, earlier this week and asked for an “accelerated appeal” of the temporary injunction that restored Sorsby’s eligibility. As of now, the court date is scheduled for next February, shortly after the national championship game will be held.
Sorsby threw for 5,613 yards, 45 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over the past two seasons at Cincinnati. He also ran for 1,027 yards and 18 touchdowns in 24 games.
–Field Level Media
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