Why Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby will be allowed to play for now despite gambling scandal

Texas Tech quarterback 2026/06/08/brendan-sorsby-injunction-ncaa-texas-tech-quarterback-eligible/90456882007/" target="_blank">Brendan Sorsby will be allowed to play this season (at least for now) after a Texas judge granted him a preliminary injunction against the NCAA’s ineligibility ruling due to gambling.

Sorsby — who transferred to Texas Tech from Cincinnati — was ruled ineligible after he placed around $90,000 in bets and even wagered 40 times on his own team’s games when he was at Indiana.

Yet, despite the clearest violation of the NCAA’s rules against sports betting, Sorsby is now set to suit up for the Red Raiders in 2026. It was a court ruling that had even the biggest NCAA critics shocked.

Judge Ken Curry — a semi-retired judge who was assigned the case in the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, Texas — was the one to rule in Sorsby’s favor.

Sorsby’s legal team argued that the quarterback was effectively being punished for suffering a mental health condition as a gambling addict. And Curry appeared to agree with that argument. He said of Sorsby:

He “demonstrated that he will suffer a probable, imminent and irreparable injury” if he’s ineligible to play. 

QB Brendan Sorsby has been granted his injunction against the NCAA. pic.twitter.com/jmAWR8msRa

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 8, 2026

The judge also stated that missing out on a team environment and coaching would be harmful to Sorsby.

The NCAA was clearly shocked that a judge effectively undermined a rule that was supposed to protect that integrity of college sports. To be able to gamble on your own team and not face consequences — it’s a dangerous precedent to set.

The NCAA said in a statement:

“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.”

This might have been one of the rare occasions where fans sided with the NCAA. Again, Sorsby placed over 9,000 bets included 40 on his own team. This decision signals that insider gambling is fine if you can just find a sympathetic judge in your school’s town.

It was a stunning decision.

Imagine being one of the Cyclones or Hawkeyes with far less egregious wagering who were never able to play NCAA football again. https://t.co/lIpfCzGoJe

— Keith Murphy (@KeithMurphy) June 8, 2026

This is wild. Open season to gamble on college football while playing college football. https://t.co/zDo1VFc0lV

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) June 8, 2026

Here’s a list of enforceable rules in college football:

(Crickets) https://t.co/TrbOc0zJnl

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) June 8, 2026

As disastrous a ruling as there has ever been in modern sports. The pathway is now clear: gamble as much as you like, including on your own team and hope you are–or get–good enough that you can lawyer up down the line. A much bigger disaster than anything with NIL or portal. https://t.co/0te37hEJH4

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) June 8, 2026

• 9000 different bets
• $90,000 wagered
• Betting on games he suited up for
• Willfully ignoring classes and meetings from 3 different institutions about the one cardinal sin in sports

But hey, find a local judge and convince him the kid will be really sad if he doesn’t get…

— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) June 8, 2026

What an absolute disaster.

Hopefully gets overturned. https://t.co/Kn2FzGsEVv

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) June 8, 2026

The NCAA will appeal the ruling, obviously. But Texas Tech kicks off its season in three months, and the legal process could draw out well beyond that.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby had his eligibility restored despite gambling on games