Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA that will allow him to play during the 2026 season. Sorsby received the decision from Lubbock judge Ken Curry on Monday morning, one week after a hearing.
As part of the decision, Sorsby will sit out the first two games of the season against Abilene Christian and Oregon State. However, he will return for the Big 12 opener on Sept. 18 against Houston.
The court decided that Sorsby would suffer “probable, imminent and irreparable injury” if he were not allowed to participate in college athletics while his case proceeds through the legal system. Specifically, the judge ruled that Sorsby would lose access to high-level training and the ability to maximize his athletic potential, thereby complicating his decision to enter the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft.
Sorsby was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA after admitting to placing thousands of bets over four years, including multiple on his own team while redshirting at Indiana. NCAA rules hold that any player who gambles on their own team or another in their athletic department will not be allowed to participate in college athletics.
The NCAA sharply criticized the ruling in a statement on Monday.
“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 statement said. “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.”
The injunction is temporary and allows Sorsby to return to competition while his broader legal challenge against the NCAA continues through the court system.
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The allegations
According to court filings, Sorsby admitted to placing thousands of bets while an active athlete. The records indicate he sent money to family and friends to place bets on his behalf, including after arriving at Texas Tech. At least 40 bets were placed on Indiana football when he was a member of the program.
Following the allegations going public, Sorsby entered a gambling rehab facility for several weeks. He also retained a high-powered legal team, including Jeffrey Kessler, who litigated the House v. NCAA lawsuit, and Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows. They argued that the NCAA should have considered Sorsby’s mental health conditions, including a gambling addiction and anxiety, which were negatively impacted by the NCAA’s relationship with gambling companies.
“The NCAA has weaponized his condition to shore up a facade of competitive integrity, while simultaneously profiting from the very gambling ecosystem it polices,” Sorsby’s legal team wrote.
The NCAA argued that it would be irreparably harmed if Sorsby regained eligibility, because no athlete has ever bet on their own games and been allowed to return to their sport. However, Curry ultimately sided with Sorsby.
Impact on Texas Tech
The Red Raiders spent handsomely over the offseason to lure Sorsby to Lubbock with a reported deal worth more than $5 million. The Corinth, Texas, native was rated the No. 2 player in the transfer portal and a five-star transfer after an All-Big 12 career at Cincinnati.
Texas Tech won its first Big 12 title in program history and ranked No. 1 in both total offense and defense among Big 12 teams, but struggled after reaching the College Football Playoff. The Red Raiders were shut out 23-0 against Oregon as the offense sputtered. By adding Sorsby — their top offseason target — Texas Tech hopes they can take the next step.
“This unfortunate situation is the outcome of a broken system,” Texas Tech booster and board chair Cody Campbell said in a statement. “I’m doing everything I can to fix it, but until there is a permanent solution, Texas Tech and its student-athletes have to do the best they can to navigate and compete amid the chaos that exists in the reality of the world we live in.”
What’s next
The loss is a devastating one for the NCAA, which has struggled in a series of local court cases over eligibility in recent years. It fundamentally calls into question the organization’s ability to enforce its own rules, even those as seemingly black-and-white as the cardinal sin of gambling on games.
The NCAA is expected to appeal, but a combination of the timeline and the June 22 NFL Supplemental Draft deadline for Sorsby could complicate the legal case. The case will ultimately go to trial, but it will occur after the 2026 season is completed, similar to the legal status that Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia faced last year.
Judge Curry laid out seven conditions in the decision for Sorsby to follow, including attending both individual and group treatments for his addiction and anxiety disorder. He also must complete a monthly report to update the NCAA on his compliance.
