NCAA & Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby Fight In Lubbock Court, Await Judge's Ruling

LUBBOCK - The long-awaited court hearing for aspiring Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby arrived Monday, as both parties made their cases to a judge in a Lubbock County courtroom about his potential return to the field.

Sorsby has been at the center of the college football landscape after it was reported that he was suffering from a gambling addiction and had placed bets that violated NCAA laws throughout his career.

The NCAA and Texas Tech previously ruled Sorsby ineligible due to these infractions, but the Red Raiders alongside their hopeful QB have been rallying for reinstatement since this initial decision.

Sorsby is being represented by a wide array of legal experts with lengthy experience in the area of sports. This team is highlighted by Jeffrey Kessler, who has had a few run-ins with the NCAA before and came out on top.

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Inside the courtroom, Kessler rallied hard for Sorsby's in the face of the NCAA's guidelines. He argued that the governing body is not honoring the contractual obligation to Sorsby by refusing to support his mental health struggles.

Kessler also stated that the NCAA failed in implementing its student-athlete reinstatement guidelines in the case of Sorsby after not consulting with a mental health professional, which is allowed in disputes involving mental health disorders.

In a bold admission, Kessler revealed that Sorsby had, in fact, placed bets on the Indiana Hoosiers football team, while he was on the roster. However, he followed it up by claiming that Sorsby never bet on a game he appeared in and never threatened the integrity of Indiana's games.

The NCAA's legal team, headed by Taylor Askew, issued firm rebuttals against all of Kessler's claims. According to Askew, Sorsby has technically been ineligible to play college football since his days at Indiana, due to the rampant violations.

Askew argued that just because Sorsby repeatedly broke the policies of the NCAA level, even at an unprecedented level that was caused by an addiction, he is not suddenly exempt from the consequences any other athlete would be subjected to.

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In a statement in support of Sorsby, Askew noted that his football career does not have to end if he cannot suit up for Texas Tech, with the quarterback able to declare for the NFL supplemental draft.

With this tidbit in mind, Sorsby's team asked for Judge Ken Curry to hand down his ruling by June 15, so he will have plenty of time to enter the draft ahead of the June 22 deadline.

Judge Curry is currently reviewing both arguments and all evidence presented after the hearing concluded Monday afternoon. His ruling is expected to be issued sometime this week, which satisfies the request made by Sorsby.