Inside the potential timeline of an appeal by the NCAA in the Court ruling on Brendan Sorsby's eligibility.
LUBBOCK, Texas - Visiting Judge Ken Curry granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction that clears the path for him to be eligible to compete for the Red Raiders despite his admitted gambling behavior from throughout his career as a student-athlete.
The NCAA was appropriately stunned by the ruling, and quickly released a statement disapproving the decision. A formal appeal was said to be filed 24-48 hours after Monday's injunction ruling.
"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."
According to The Athletic on Monday afternoon, the NCAA's filing has been made official as an "accelerated appeal" in the Seventh District Court of Texas (in Amarillo, a two-hour drive north of Lubbock).
Sorsby's trial against the NCAA is set for Feb. 8, 2027 ... which comes two weeks after the final game of the upcoming college football season. Sorsby, if he plays, will have exhausted his eligibility by this time.
According to their online bios, ESPN notes that each of the four judges in the Seventh District is a graduate of Texas Tech School of Law.
When it comes to timing, as it relates to Sorsby, he must have a definitive ruling by June 22, the deadline for his enrollment in the NFL Supplemental Draft, which is an option to enter the professional ranks instead of competing in this college football season.
Sorsby can go that route with or without his eligibility intact at Texas Tech, but with a trial date so late into the future, he could find himself better off playing for the Red Raiders, then taking the traditional NFL Draft route in 2027.
In reaction to the appeal, NBC Sports says, "Sorsby blatantly and repeatedly violated the NCAA’s rules regarding gambling. It’s hard to imagine that there will be no consequence whatsoever — beyond the two-game suspension that Judge Curry imposed on Sorsby."
The NCAA's appeal, On3 reports, is a process that would take "up to a year. Any other recourse would violate the injunction enjoining the NCAA’s rule of restitution."
That would leave the issue null and void, with Sorsby entering his final year of eligibility anyway after transferring from Cincinnati to Texas Tech this spring.
The Big 12 Conference is also furious with the decision on Sorsby's eligibility. Commissioner Brett Yormark is set to hold a call with athletic directors across the conference this week to discuss future options.
As for the Big 12, ESPN reporter Pete Thamel says there isn't a clear timeline on conference-wide decisions, either.
"Don’t expect any immediate action from the Big 12 on the Brendan Sorsby ruling," Thamel reports. "The Big 12 has defined a process to address it, which begins with an AD call [Tuesday, June 9]. The Big 12 executive board will meet [Thursday, June 11] to discuss options."
Texas Tech University had also ruled Sorsby ineligible to compete after helping the player get admitted into a gambling treatment program. The school then initiated a reinstatement process with the NCAA, but was denied twice.
According to NCAA guidelines released in 2023, players who "wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools" will "potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports." Sorsby has admitted to gambling on Indiana Hoosiers football games while he was on the team, but his stance that he did not bet on games he participated in and never bet against his team or teammates held up in court.
"There is no better example of why targeted intervention from Congress is necessary," NCAA president Charlie Baker said on social media following the announcement. "When you have schools and deep-pocketed supporters willing to look the other way on the glaring integrity threat of betting on your own team – and judges whose rulings effectively strip away our ability to stop them – only Congress can equip the NCAA to apply this common sense rule to everyone fairly and consistently. The Protect College Sports Act would empower the NCAA to enforce rules including the gambling restrictions – it’s needed now more than ever."
Cody Campbell, the chairman of the school's Board of Regents, a senior member of President Donald Trump's Blue Ribbon Council on College Sports, and a "deep-pocketed" booster of his alma mater Red Raiders, wrote an op-ed for USA TODAY Sports on June 9 outlining how the NCAA's next steps focus less on a collective bargaining agreement (like many professional leagues) and more on Congressional legislation, due to state's labor laws.
"Prior attempts to push a legislative solution have been politically divisive and legally faulty. The Protect College Sports Act is not," Campbell said in conclusion. "This bill accounts for the clear fact Congressional anti-trust protection is the only legally practical way to restore order to college sports, and save our collegiate athletes in the process.
"But, time is working against us; the legislative window is closing, and there are no other options available to protect and save our national treasure. We must get serious, come together with transparency and in good faith, and make this bill law. Our student-athletes, universities and fans deserve nothing less."
