Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby landed a big win in court Monday when he was granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA in his fight to be reinstated after his gambling scandal, ESPN.com reported.
The Lubbock County judge ruled that the NCAA could not prohibit Sorsby from “practicing, playing, or otherwise participating on Texas Tech’s football team for the 2026 season.”
Sorsby has been accused of placing thousands of wagers while playing at Indiana and Cincinnati, including some on his own team, and even after he transferred to Texas Tech, according to a report from Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.
The surprising result has given Sorsby an opportunity to play in games this upcoming season, at least for now.
“This is a just result,” Sorsby’s attorney Jeffrey Kessler told Yahoo Sports. “He will continue in treatment, devote himself to his team and educating others about the dangers of gambling addiction, and there is no damage to the competitive integrity of NCAA games.”
Sorsby was placed on indefinite leave by Texas Tech in April when his gambling issues came to light, and he sought treatment for a gambling addiction.
The NCAA has typically levied a permanent ban on players who wagered on their own team and denied Sorsby’s request to be reinstated in May.
Texas Tech and Sorsby appealed the NCAA’s ruling and won a stunning reversal, which will allow Sorsby to be eligible for most of Texas Tech’s season.
The judge ruled that should be suspended the first two games of the season, which was the penalty the QB’s legal team recommended.
“The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby’s case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports,” an NCAA said in a statement on social media. “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.”
