Since April 27, former Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been in a residential gambling addiction center.
According to his agent, Ron Slavin, the plan is for him to be out by June 1. It has not yet been determined if Sorsby will address his stay.
Diagnosed with gambling disorder and adjustment disorder with anxiety according to his filing for injunctive relief vs. the NCAA, Sorsby is up against some tight deadlines.
According to the filing, Sorsby’s new team, Texas Tech, was notified of the NCAA’s investigation into his gambling on April 14. Three days later, Sorsby played for the Red Raiders in their spring game with four touchdown passes.
On April 25, Sorsby participated in a Pro Camps for kids in Lubbock. Two days later, the initial reports of an NCAA investigation were out and Sorsby was seeking help. He was less than four months into a historic Name, Image and Likeness deal with Texas Tech that was paying him a reported $4 to 6 million.
What we know from Brendan Sorsby’s application for injunctive relief
The focus of the filing is to allow Sorsby to remain part of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The presiding judge is Phillip Hayes, who holds a bachelor’s and law degree from Texas Tech. One of Sorsby’s attorneys is Dustin Burrows, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and also a double degree holder from Texas Tech.
The legal argument is that the NCAA didn’t process Sorsby’s reinstatement promptly. On May 7, a Texas Tech investigation saw no “integrity issues” with his gambling (altering his performance, using non-public information). The NCAA also demanded a live interview of Sorsby while in the treatment center, which would have interrupted the process he’s trying to finish.
Sorsby’s team offered a two-game suspension and continued gambling treatment, but the NCAA turned that down.
On Monday, May 18, after the Sorsby filing, Texas Tech released the following:
“After finalizing an agreed-upon stipulation of facts between Texas Tech University, the NCAA and Brendan Sorsby, the University has declared Sorsby ineligible for competition. Texas Tech intends to quickly initiate the reinstatement process. Texas Tech’s primary focus remains supporting Sorsby’s health and well-being.”
Sorsby’s attorneys are seeking a decision no later than June 15 as the deadline for filing for the NFL Supplemental draft is June 22. On the May 19 Pat McAfee Show, ESPN College GameDay contributor Pete Thamel said, “For Brendan Sorsby to play college football in 2026, something seismic would have to happen.”
What has Brendan Sorsby admitted in his affidavit?
Sorsby admitted to placing bets on Indiana football as a freshman in 2022, with the stakes ranging from $5 to $50 per bet. As he initially wasn’t playing, he says the bets made him feel “connected”. Once he appeared in an Indiana game after Oct. 2022, he said he didn’t bet on any of his teams, which to this point would be Indiana or Cincinnati.
Sorsby says he never provided non-public information to a third party or assisted on bets and there was no single alert from any integrity monitoring system. He has admitted to gambling at an Oklahoma casino while in high school and making obscure bets on Turkish basketball, Romanian soccer, non-major tennis doubles, the MLB Draft and even the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest while at Indiana.
What did Brendan Sorsby bet on during his time with the Cincinnati Bearcats?
He admits to betting on “other sports” using public information available in 2024. He also admitted to betting on pro sports n 2025, when he was paid $875,000 in revenue sharing along with other NIL deals.
Scott Tompsett of Tompsett Collegiate Sports Law in a separate affidavit, says Sorsby bet on UC Bearcats basketball. He also bet the “under” on Indiana Hoosiers basketball and would bet on opposing players going against Indiana.
Which Brendan Sorsby bets were illegal?
Sorsby is now 22, but prior to Jan. 20, 2025, he was not of legal age. The legal age for sports betting and casinos in Indiana is 21.Ohio’s legal age for betting is 21 outside of Keno, the lottery and horse racing, which is 18. Betting apps require you to be whatever the legal age is in your particular state, but obviously, there are “workarounds”.
The Big 12 requires athletes to use a ProhiBet app on their phones, which notifies schools of athletes signing up for apps or using betting platforms. USA Today reported Cincinnati was alerted about Sorsby.
A source close to the UC program has said, “No one inside the UC Athletics Department was aware of any illegal gambling. The University would not knowingly play an athlete involved in illegal gambling.”
When initially contacted about Sorsby’s issues, UC head football coach Scott Satterfield told The Enquirer he was not aware of any issues.
Wagering on your own games, win or lose, brings about potentially permanent college ineligibility, which becomes an issue for Sorsby with the Indiana gambling in addition to being underage. As for other wagering violations, such as betting on pro sports, if the amount exceeds $800, it’s a 30% loss of season eligibility, plus prevention education. If Sorsby made “thousands of bets” as the affidavit indicates, he would well surpass the $800 threshhold.
Brendan Sorsby attorneys point out NCAA hypocrisy with gambling
Among the affidavits submitted by attorney Jeffrey Kessler highlighting the hypocrisy of the NCAA is that the University of Arizona, a member of the Big 12, now has its football stadium named Casino Del Sol Stadium. The Tucson resort and casino paid a $60 million naming rights fee that was cleared by the NCAA in November.
They also point out that the NCAA’s Genius Sports deal provides sportsbooks with an NCAA data feed. It mentions the NCAA has looked into expanded media rights as well as gambling for revenue opportunities and that $3.3 billion was wagered on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, which was almost double the figures of the most recent Super Bowl.
Will hometown, favorable Lubbock judge rule for Brendan Sorsby?
The seriousness of the gambling issue, plus history, makes it not necessarily a given that Judge Phillip Hayes will grant the temporary injunction.
Recently, Judge Robert Whitwell in Mississippi, an Ole Miss grad, ruled in favor of giving Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss an extra year of eligibility. But that case dealt with a medical redshirt year and not wagering on football.
Similarly, Joey Aguilar in February sought a sixth year at Tennessee, which meant not counting some of his junior college time. Knox County Judge Chris Heagerty, a Volunteer grad, ruled against him.
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama grad James Roberts granted former G-League basketball player Charles Bediako a temporary restraining order to play basketball for the Crimson Tide, but then recused himself when it was revealed he was a school donor. Judge Daniel Pruet, who received his bachelor’s and law degree from Alabama, then denied the restraining order.
Another reason for urgency for Brendan Sorsby?
Even if Sorsby is allowed to play, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire told ESPN’s Heather Dinich that Will Hammond should be ready for football activities by Aug. 21 and ready to play by their second game, Sept. 12 at Oregon State. He’ll be in 7-on-7 team drills by next month
Hammond was 2-0 as a starter last season in place of Behren Morton with demonstrative wins over Utah and Oklahoma State before tearing his ACL in his right knee. He was slated to be Sorsby’s backup,
What about recent quarterbacks involved in NCAA gambling?
Iowa State’s Hunter Dekkers in a 2023 investigation, was found to havemade approximately 366 bets on his mother’s DraftKings account totaling $2,799. That included a $15 bet in 2021 for Iowa State to beat Oklahoma State. Dekkers was on the Cyclones roster, but did not play.
In 2024, he was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA and went from succeeding Brock Purdy at Iowa State to Iowa Western Community College. After going on and off the New Orleans Saints practice squad in 2025 after going undrafted, Dekkers is now in the UFL with the Houston Gamblers.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Latest on ex-UC QB Brendan Sorsby as he leaves gambling treatment