Texas Tech and Brendan Sorsby make the wise decision to close this chapter

The Brendan Sorsby saga has come to an end.

Sorsby and Texas Tech mutually agreed to part ways on Monday, a week after he was granted an injunction to play college football this season after the NCAA had declared him ineligible after admitting to having wagered on college football. The quarterback, who transferred to Tech after playing for Indiana and Cincinnati, confessed to placing thousands of bets during his four years as a college athlete at Indiana and Cincinnati. Some of those wagers were in games at Indiana where he served as the backup quarterback. 

Sorsby plans to withdraw his legal challenge with the NCAA and enter the NFL Supplemental Draft a week before the June 22 deadline. It's been reported that the Red Raiders do not plan to ask Sorsby to return any compensation from his NIL deal with the school, which would have made him one of the highest-paid players in the sport. 

"Brendan and Texas Tech stand on very solid and legitimate legal ground, but he faces a June 22nd deadline to be eligible to enter the NFL's supplemental draft, and there is no practical way to resolve all the various pending legal disputes and ensure his eligibility prior to this date," Texas Tech board chair Cody Campbell said in a statement. "This is the only viable and fair path for Brendan and his future, as well as for his teammates, and our university." 

Campbell added that the school would continue to provide support for Sorsby in his efforts to treat his gambling addiction. 

Texas Tech and Brendan Sorsby faced an uphill battle they couldn't win

Backlash from the injunction made by a Lubbock County judge was swift and direct. The threatened legal challenges were coming from both sides, with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton taking up the fight for Texas Tech and the Big 12 and its member schools exercising all options, including sanctions against Sorsby and threats to cancel games. 

Texas Tech continued to stand by Sorsby in the face of harsh criticism from every direction with the hopes that eventually the noise would die down, but it seemed to only get louder. At the end of the day, Sorsby couldn't face the risk of losing out on a chance to play football for a season and Texas Tech couldn't continue to receive the shots that have been taken at the program, the administration and the challenges to its credibility as an institution of higher learning. 

"The bottom line is that Texas Tech did absolutely nothing but act with complete integrity through this entire process. We broke no rules, no laws, and crossed no ethical lines," Campbell continued in his state. 

What's next for Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech?

Sorsby will now face the magnifying glass that will come with his attempts to play in the NFL. The last time a player was selected in the supplemental draft was Washington State defensive back Jalen Thompson, who was picked in the fifth round by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. Once a team makes a pick in the supplemental draft, they forgo their rights to that pick in the following year's NFL Draft. The last quarterback to be taken in the supplemental draft was Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor, who was selected by the Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) with a third-round pick in 2011. If Sorsby is picked, the league policy requires him to undergo an evaluation that will determine if he has to continue treatment. 

Texas Tech will now turn to redshirt sophomore Will Hammond, who is expected to be ready after tearing his ACL in October. Hammond has appeared in 12 games (three starts) in his two years with the Red Raiders. He came in relief of the injured Behren Morton against Utah on September 20 and was   13-of-16 passing for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the 34-10 road win over the Utes. Hammond also rushed for 61 yards in the game. He was named the Big 12 Freshman and Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Hammond started and accounted for three touchdowns in a 26-22 loss to Arizona State on October 18 and also started in the 42-0 win against Oklahoma State on October 25 before suffering his injury. Another option would be Kirk Francis, a redshirt junior that transferred from Tulsa. Francis has thrown for over 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns in 18 games (13 starts) for the Golden Hurricane. 

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