Big 12 Holds Sorsby Lawsuit, Eyes Texas Tech Liability
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- Big 12 presidents and chancellors have not pulled the conference's federal lawsuit filed Monday in the Northern District of Texas, with a source saying 'we haven't done anything different at this point' as questions about Sorsby's NFL future and possible legal retribution remain open.
- The Big 12 board of directors is expected to hold a call early next week to discuss next steps and liability questions tied to Sorsby's admitted history of gambling, the source told ESPN.
- Brendan Sorsby withdrew his own lawsuit against the NCAA and applied for the NFL supplemental draft, needing to be declared ineligible in college by Monday to qualify; the NFL still must approve his application for a 2026 supplemental draft to be held later this summer.
- Sorsby admitted breaking NCAA rules by betting thousands of times, including 40 times on Indiana football while on that team's roster, according to the article.
- A Big 12 athletic director said the conference could still consider punitive ramifications for Texas Tech, with some members wanting the school — not all 16 member schools — to bear the legal fees from the lawsuit.
- The NFL has not held a supplemental draft since 2023 and has not selected a player in one since the Cardinals took safety Jalen Thompson with a fifth-round bid in 2019; the last quarterback to enter was Terrelle Pryor, a third-round Raiders pick in 2011.
Why it matters: The Big 12's lawsuit is the legal mechanism that gets Sorsby declared ineligible by Monday's NCAA deadline — the very step that makes him eligible for the NFL supplemental draft. If the conference drops or settles the case, Sorsby's path to the NFL closes; if it presses forward, all 16 member schools could end up sharing legal costs that some argue Texas Tech alone should bear.
