Agent Fires Back at Cincinnati for ‘Turning Blind Eye’ to QB’s Two-Year Gambling Problem

The Brendan Sorsby gambling saga took a sharp new turn this week—and the finger-pointing is now aimed squarely at Cincinnati, not Texas Tech.

Ron Slavin, the agent representing the former Bearcats quarterback, didn’t hold back when asked who should be held accountable for Sorsby’s gambling addiction and its fallout. In an interview with On3’s Griffin McVeigh, Slavin made it clear where he believes the real failure occurred.

“If anybody should be questioned or catching heat, it should be Cincinnati,” Slavin said. “Because they knew for two years and never said anything or didn’t do anything about it. That’s the part of the story that gets lost.”

The timeline of a spiral

Sorsby initially committed to Indiana, playing there in 2022 and 2023. During that time, he placed bets on Hoosiers games among other events. He then transferred to Cincinnati ahead of the 2024 season, starting 24 games over two years and posting a solid 2025 campaign that triggered another transfer—this time to Texas Tech.

That move was supposed to set him up as the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback in 2026. Instead, Sorsby checked into a treatment center for gambling addiction, and his college career came to an abrupt halt. He has since announced his intention to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft.

Tech gets a pass

Slavin was emphatic that Texas Tech had no part in the problem. “The people at Tech have been great, very supportive,” he said. “Joey McGuire, I think, is one of the best human beings on the planet. A lot of head coaches are transactional. He is not. They didn’t do anything wrong here.”

The agent’s comments shift the spotlight back to Cincinnati’s coaching staff and administration, who he claims were aware of Sorsby’s betting for two years without intervening. The program has not responded to the allegation.

NFL decision still pending

While Sorsby has closed the book on his college days, his professional future is far from settled. ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarified on The Pat McAfee Show that the NFL must first approve the supplemental draft itself before any player can be selected.

“He could say he plans to be in the supplemental draft, but the NFL still has to sign off on a supplemental draft, and that decision is up to the commissioner,” Schefter said. “It is within his jurisdiction to decide whether or not there would be a supplemental draft this year. If there is a supplemental draft this year, it likely would be held in the back half of July.”

Despite the gambling concerns, Sorsby’s talent at quarterback has not been ignored. According to reports, the Pittsburgh Steelers are among the teams showing interest in taking a chance on him. Whether the league green-lights that opportunity remains the final unanswered question.