Heisman Hopeful Sorsby Enters Treatment Amid NCAA Gambling Probe

Once sports betting became largely legalized, it was only a matter of time until a notable player found themselves marred in a real scandal. That time has come, as Heisman hopeful Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby checked into a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction, with the NCAA investigating his betting activities that transpired across multiple sports. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that the investigation surrounds "thousands of online bets” placed on multiple sports through a gambling app. Most seriously, the allegations involve bets that Sorsby placed in 2022 on the Hoosiers while he was a freshman at Indiana in his would-be redshirt season, betting on them to win.

Per NCAA bylaws, betting on one’s own team comes with a potential permanent ban on his college eligibility. Importantly, there aren’t any allegations involving point shaving, nor have police or law enforcement been tapped into anything. Past the blemish it leaves on college football and sports betting, it represents a real issue for the Red Raiders with his career eligibility in jeopardy after being one of the most coveted players in the portal. It’s thought that he snagged a $5 million NIL purse from Texas Tech over LSU, Miami, and other suitors. It was a big spending move by the Red Raiders after Sorsby was sued by Cincinnati for his alleged $1 million exit fee. But none of that matters really now for Texas Tech, who, in addition to having a quarterback problem on their hands, also have a very troubling situation to parse through with Sorsby.

Here is the full story from Red Raiders Roundtable writer Timothy Hamm on the quarterback crisis now plaguing Texas Tech in light of the shocking news.

There was thought that Sorsby would be the one to lead the Red Raiders to another straight Big 12 title and College Football Playoff run. But he now may not have a future in college football at all depending on the findings throughout the investigation. And this is the biggest one to hit the sport when it comes to star players and NIL dollars involved. With sports wagering becoming legal in 39 states after the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, the NCAA estimates that at least 60 percent of college students have bet at least once – and unfortunately, that seems to include college athletes. The prominence of mobile apps has turned sports gambling into a new, untenable beast, and there doesn’t seem to be a clean solution that will solve all of these problems, including NIL funds that these athletes have only recently become privy to.