Brendan Sorsby left Texas Tech months ago, but the legal mess he left behind is far from over. The Big 12 conference hasn’t dismissed its lawsuit against the school, and league officials are scrambling to figure out what to do next.
Sorsby, a former Red Raiders quarterback, admitted to gambling on his own team’s games. The NCAA ruled him ineligible for the 2026 season as a result. But a Texas judge stepped in and overruled that decision, allowing Sorsby to play. That set off a chain reaction nobody saw stopping anytime soon.
Schools across the Big 12 threatened to boycott games against Texas Tech. The conference itself sued to block Sorsby from taking the field. Now, with the quarterback already planning to enter the NFL supplemental draft, the lawsuit remains active and unresolved.
“We don’t know the answer to those questions,” one anonymous Big 12 source told ESPN. “We haven’t done anything different at this point. We’re going to reconvene next week to run through all the options. Right now that case is still active.”
A meeting that could change things
Top Big 12 officials are scheduled to meet with member schools in the coming days. According to reports, one option on the table is sanctioning Texas Tech directly. The idea has sparked real tension behind closed doors.
“There may need to be consequences for Texas Tech, even if it works out this way,” one unnamed Big 12 athletic director said. “It was pointed out there’s been legal fees involved in this action. Is it right for all 16 schools to share in those legal fees when we didn’t have anything to do with starting it? Those are some of the things that are going to have to be worked out and they will be.”
That quote pretty much sums up the mood. Nobody’s happy. And nobody’s sure how this ends.
Texas Tech’s position just got more complicated
Timing makes this mess even trickier. Texas Tech is one of the strongest programs in the Big 12 right now. The Red Raiders made the College Football Playoff during the 2025 season. They’re not some bottom feeder that can be pushed around without pushback.
But the conference is holding the legal paperwork and asking tough questions. Who pays for all this? What precedent does it set? And what happens if another player tries something similar down the road?
The judge’s ruling opened a door the NCAA and the Big 12 both want shut. But slamming it shut turns out to be harder than they expected.
The next few weeks could determine whether this thing fizzles out or blows up into something even bigger. Right now, the lawsuit is still alive. And so is the headache for everyone involved.
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