Court Restores Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby’s Eligibility After NCAA Gambling Ban

The NCAA has filed an expedited appeal seeking to block the judge’s order, a move that tests enforcement rules and forces conferences to weigh scheduling and disciplinary responses.

Overview

A Texas judge issued a temporary injunction last week that set aside the NCAA’s lifetime ban and allowed Sorsby to play in 2026 under a two‑game suspension and court-ordered treatment and monitoring.
The injunction requires continuous counseling, device monitoring, a financial custodian for Sorsby’s NIL funds, and ongoing compliance reports as conditions of his return.
The NCAA immediately filed for expedited appellate review to overturn the order while the Big 12 and some member schools are considering legal and scheduling responses, including a federal suit seeking clarity on enforcement.
The case highlights Sorsby’s admitted gambling history, his reported completion of a 35‑day inpatient treatment program and outpatient care, and raises questions about how addiction and mitigation should factor into NCAA penalties.
The dispute is prompting a wider debate inside college football about integrity, conference authority and structural reform, a discussion that public figures such as Deion Sanders have used to press for rule changes and new oversight.