After previously being ruled ineligible to play in the upcoming college football season, Texas Tech star quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA and will be allowed to suit up in 2026.
District judge Ken Curry in Lubbock County, Texas has ruled that the NCAA cannot prevent the signal caller from ‘practicing, playing or otherwise participating on Texas Tech’s football team for the 2026 season.’
The NCAA initially ruled against Sorsby after he admitted to gambling on sports, including on his own team while he played at Indiana University. This led to a gambling disorder that led to him checking into rehab.
In his ruling, Curry said that Sorsby, ‘demonstrated that he will suffer a probable, imminent, and irreparable injury if this Court does not issue this temporary injunction because he will be unable to participate as a member of Texas Tech University’s 2026 Football season.’
In a statement, the NCAA categorized the court’s ruling as ‘damaging’ and having ‘broadly destabilizing ramifications’ which could ‘undermin[e] and corrup[t] the integrity of sports.’
‘The NCAA is committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one’s own sport,’ the statement read.
Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been granted an injunction against the NCAA which will allow him to play for the team after he violated the league’s gambling policy
Sorsby was found to have placed bets on his own team while he was a backup at Indiana
The player’s attorneys are asking the NCAA to treat his violations as a mental health condition after he checked into rehab and was diagnosed with gambling and anxiety disorders
Sorsby attended a rehabilitation center in Arizona where he stayed for 35 days before being diagnosed with gambling and anxiety disorders, according to his attorneys.
He is alleged to have placed thousands of individual bets in his career at Indiana, the University of Cincinnati and Texas Tech.
According to court documents, Sorsby placed at least 2,900 bets totaling over $30,000 between June 2022 and December 2023 while on the scout team at Indiana.
This included 40 games where he bet on the Hoosiers, but this did not involve any games where he featured or had a legitimate chance of playing, per the filing.
In addition, the NCAA alleges that Sorsby placed parlay bets involving the Indiana basketball team – including wagers ‘in favor of players on the opposing team.’
Student-athletes are prohibited from betting on any NCAA-sanctioned sport – college or professional – and could face permanent loss of eligibility if they’re found to wager on games involving their own team or another team in a different sport at their same school.
The NCAA hasn’t found evidence to support the idea that Sorsby manipulated his performance, nor has there been any indication inside information was used to place these bets.
Last week, the NCAA commended Sorsby for seeking treatment, but maintained that he is free to continue his playing career elsewhere. The player’s attorneys are asking the NCAA to treat his gambling violations as a mental health condition.
