Big 12 Files Suit to Block Texas Tech From Shielding Brendan Sorsby

Legal action has been threatened ever since the Lubbock County judge granted Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s temporary injunction to continue playing college football despite his admittance to a gambling disorder that saw him bet tens of thousands on the sport, including on his own team games.

Now, the Big 12 has officially taken action, as the league filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of Texas on Monday seeking declaratory judgment and injunctive relief to invoke their bylaws and impose potential sanctions on Sorsby.

The story is nothing new. Sorsby already admitted to betting thousands of times on college sports, which included 40 times on the Indiana Hoosiers while he was on the team. Despite the violation of a previously clear cut-and-dry rule, a June 8 injunction cleared him to play in 2026.

After Texas Attorney General Kenneth Paxton warned the conference that sanctions wouldn’t be lawful, Paxton was named as a defendant in addition to the Texas Tech chancellor, president and AD. The Big 12 is looking to invoke Bylaw 3.6, which would allow for a supermajority to vote on whether the Red Raiders’ actions warrant punishment.

To read more about the latest legal counter in the saga, here is the full story from Red Raiders Roundtable writer Nathan Karseno.

Should they be allowed to invoke the bylaw, potential sanctions could be financial and could also preclude Texas Tech from being eligible for the Big 12 championship game.

Their argument is that the situation is a threat to competitive integrity and the reputation of the conference and its members as a whole.

The outrage hasn’t been quiet, and it’s clear that the Big 12, whose ADs have brought up noted “disgust,” isn’t going quietly.

Now, a myriad of legal complexities surround the case despite him being legally cleared to play – for now.