by Ayden Runnels and Alex Nguyen, The Texas Tribune
June 11, 2026
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office threatened the Big 12 Conference with legal action if any attempt is made to sanction Texas Tech University over plans to play quarterback Brendan Sorsby in the upcoming season.
The NCAA banned Sorsby from participating in football after court filings showed the student athlete placed at least $90,000 in sports bets while attending Texas Tech and playing football at two other universities. He placed bets on his own team while playing at Indiana, and when in Texas, where sports betting is illegal, sent money to people in other states to bet on his behalf, according to court filings.
Sorsby sued to regain his eligibility, and on Monday a state district judge in Lubbock blocked the NCAA from prohibiting Sorsby from playing most of the upcoming season. The judge’s order also stipulates Sorsby must continue treatment for his gambling disorder and sit out the first two games of the season. The NCAA is appealing.
The judge set a Feb. 8 trial on the matter, after the football season concludes.
The ruling sparked criticism from officials at other universities and threats to cancel sporting events that include Texas Tech.
In a letter sent Thursday on behalf of Texas Tech, Paxton’s office warned the Big 12 that any effort to “disadvantage” the university would be illegal, prompting a swift reprisal from the attorney general’s office.
“The total exposure — for both the Big 12 and its members, jointly and severally — will be substantially more than $200 million,” said the letter signed by Thomas York, chief of the agency’s antitrust division.
The letter, first reported by The Athletic, came a day after Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell said there would be a legal fight if teams or conferences boycott the university, calling it “an antitrust violation” on the Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich show.
The Big 12 Conference and Texas Tech didn’t immediately respond to comment requests.
In late April, Texas Tech announced 22-year-old Sorsby was diagnosed with gambling disorder and would be admitted into a rehabilitation center in Arizona.
In a statement posted on the Texas Tech website, university athletic director Kirby Hocutt defended Sorsby’s eligibility and asked for critics to understand the nuance of Sorsby’s addiction.
“A young man in treatment for a clinically diagnosed addiction exercised his legal right to seek a remedy in court, and a judge agreed with him,” Hocutt said. “Our role has been to support his recovery, not to engineer his eligibility.”
Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech from the University of Cincinnati in January and has not yet played a game on the team.
Sorsby’s legal team for the lawsuit includes Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. A spokesperson for the speaker’s office referred questions about Sorsby’s case to Burrows’ private law practice.
Disclosure: Texas Tech University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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