Are college athletics out of control? It certainly appears that way. 

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who was caught gambling over $90,000 and even later admitted that he placed bets on his own team, is somehow allowed to play college football in 2026. 

That's right. A man who was forced to seek treatment for a horrible gambling addiction will be the starting quarterback for the Big 12 favorite this season thanks to a controversial injunction granted by a Lubbock, Texas court. 

Sorsby was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA because of his gambling issue, but the injunction against the NCAA allows the trial date to be pushed back after the season, basically meaning Sorsby will get off scot-free. His only punishment will be a suspension for the first two games against Abilene Christian and Oregon State, where the Red Raiders will be heavy favorites. 

The court argued that Sorsby would have too much emotional damage if he wasn't allowed to play football anymore, which is ridiculous. We were all taught in grade school that if you made a mistake, there would be massive consequences. 

Making mistakes and dealing with the subsequent problems are just part of life, but Sorsby apparently earned the fast pass on this one, which makes absolutely no sense. He's probably still complaining about his two-game suspension, too. 

While Sorsby basks in the sun of evading punishment, there's one former Iowa football player that is likely still fuming about this result - Noah Shannon. 

Everyone knows the story. Shannon turned himself in to the NCAA for placing a bet during Iowa women's basketball's Final Four run in 2023 and was suspended for the entire 2023 season as a result. Every appeal Shannon tried to throw at the NCAA was all for naught and his senior season, along with his hopes at reaching the NFL, were gone. 

Shannon's case is very similar to Sorsby, but there are some major differences. There was no injunction in Shannon's case, so the NCAA had the final say in the matter, but the problem I have with these two cases come down to the actual bets that were placed. 

Sorsby placed thousands and thousands of bets while playing for Indiana and Cincinnati, but Shannon's only bet on a team that he didn't play for was the one that cost him his career. 

How in the world is someone allowed to bet on their own team and keep playing college football? That's a joke, and it proves the justice system is insanely flawed. 

Shannon made his final media appearance at Iowa's Pro Day in 2024. I had just started covering Iowa football for The Daily Iowan at the time and wrote a feature story on Shannon's emotions. 

I only chatted with him in the media scrum for five minutes, but those five minutes were all it took to see the emotions on his face. Shannon was completely remorseful and ashamed of his actions, but the hurt of not being able to play football one last time with his brothers was clearly evident. 

I can't imagine how Shannon is feeling right now, and I hope he's doing well in life. He's a great human being that was dealt an unfair hand by the NCAA, which is trying to crack down on student-athletes gambling. 

The NCAA is furious about the Sorsby ruling, but they made a major mistake suspending Shannon for an entire season. He should've been suspended for only a few games, not an entire senior campaign for one lousy bet. 

This is another example of how flawed college athletics are, and it's only going to get worse. 

Man, did Shannon deserve so much better. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]