A novel scenario for the National Collegiate Athletic Association might unfold in the year 2026.
On Monday, Ken Curry, a judge in Lubbock County, Texas, issued a temporary order allowing Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby to participate in football activities for the Red Raiders during the 2026 season. Sorsby initiated legal action against the NCAA following their decision to declare him ineligible due to wagers he made on Indiana football matches during his redshirt freshman year with the Hoosiers in 2022.
Sorsby acknowledged making wagers involving both the Indiana team and his colleagues while he was a reserve player. Through a formal court document, Sorsby confessed to placing a minimum of 40 bets connected to Indiana while he was part of the squad, although he asserted that his intentions were consistently to bet on his teammates’ favorable outcomes.
The NCAA lodged an appeal later on Monday. As a stipulation of the temporary order, Sorsby is prohibited from playing in Texas Tech’s initial two contests. The Red Raiders are scheduled to commence their season in Lubbock facing Abilene Christian, followed by an away game at Oregon State.
Within his ruling, Judge Curry stated that Sorsby and his counsel had “demonstrated that he will suffer a probable, imminent, and irreparable injury” should the court decline to issue the provisional injunction.
On Monday, Brendan Sorsby was granted an injunction to play for Texas Tech in 2026.
(John E. Moore III via Getty Images)
Following the pronouncement of the decision, the NCAA promptly released an official declaration:
“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. 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.”
Lawyers representing Sorsby contended that the NCAA had failed to adhere to its own regulations by not taking into account Sorsby’s overall health and welfare when determining his ineligibility. Sorsby recently concluded an intensive residential program for a gambling dependency, which is formally classified as a mental health condition.
The NCAA, however, asserted that Sorsby’s mental state was indeed considered, but emphasized that his gambling issue does not exempt him from accountability for his conduct. Furthermore, they noted that Sorsby is poised to become the inaugural athlete to participate at either the collegiate or professional level after acknowledging having placed wagers on his own squad.
Over the preceding four years, Sorsby engaged in thousands of betting activities, even utilizing financial accounts belonging to acquaintances and relatives to facilitate these wagers. His gambling habits persisted even after his transfer to Texas Tech during the most recent off-season. Sorsby, previously a standout player for Cincinnati, pledged to play for Texas Tech for what would be his concluding collegiate football season following the 2025 season.
According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s regulations, athletes found to have gambled on their specific sport or team face permanent disqualification. For instance, former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers forfeited his eligibility after making bets on ISU contests as a non-starter, and many ex-basketball players have also been barred due to their involvement in an extensive college basketball game-fixing scandal.
