There isn't a more controversial figure in Texas Tech sports than former football player turned billionaire donor Cody Campbell. So naturally, he was part of the new Paramount+ documentary on the Red Raiders, titled The Program.
In that four-part series, the chairman of the Texas Tech Board of Regents is not shy when it comes to sharing his feelings about how some members of the Big 12 treated his alma mater during the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga. What's more, on Saturday, he reiterated that the program is keeping receipts.
“Looking back on it, I know that Texas Tech and I handled everything with integrity, and we did things the right way,” Campbell says in the documentary. “I think this is something that could have been handled much more privately. We’re not going to forget about that, and I don’t think they’ll forget about it either when we’re up by 40 and still throwing the ball in the fourth quarter. That’s where the retribution will come.”
Of course, that comment has drawn plenty of attention since the documentary's release on Friday. How you feel about what Campbell says is largely dependent upon whether you are a Red Raider or not.
For most of the nation, there is no reason for Texas Tech fans to be angry at how the Sorsby situation played out. The prevailing opinion is that Sorsby never should have received a court injunction to be eligible to play in 2026, given that he admitted to betting on his own team when he was a backup QB at Indiana as a redshirt freshman.
What's more, most outside of West Texas feel that Texas Tech was wrong in standing by Sorsby and trying to help him rejoin the program after his time in a rehab facility. Because the Texas Tech administration and coaching staff were in Sorsby's corner, despite that stance going against public sentiment, the Red Raiders have become a villain to many college football fans.
On the other hand, Texas Tech is angry. What others don't understand, though, is that Tech isn't angry about losing Sorsby.
Rather, the hurt feelings stem from the way the entire nation, and especially many institutions in the Big 12, as well as the Big 12 itself, seemed to gang up on the Red Raiders and try to kick them while they were down.
Tech was in an impossible situation. The choice was to either cut ties with a player in his darkest hour or stand by him and bear the brunt of the criticism from the college football public. Either direction was going to lead to a bad public relations outcome.
What Tech wanted was for the other schools in the conference to mind their own business and let the saga play out. Instead, as soon as Tech, the new power-broker in the conference, was caught in a moment of vulnerability, other conference schools were quick to publicly pounce.
That's why Campbell and the rest of the Red Raider family are still bitter. His anger was still evident on Saturday when he responded to a prominent Iowa State fan on Twitter who expressed indignation and confusion about why Texas Tech is harboring resentment.
"It was exactly 7 days between the injunction and resolution of what was a very complicated legal (and human) issue," Campbell posted on X. "Texas Tech never sued anybody or did anything but follow the rules and the law. But yet, in that 7 days, certain idiot Big 12 coaches and athletic directors, who had no idea what was going on, ran their mouths just because they wanted to take a cheap shot at Texas Tech. Most of the conference was great, and kept things private.
"But I will repeat what I’ve said several times… We remember who the jackwagons were, and we will give them what they have coming to them."
It was exactly 7 days between the injunction and resolution of what was a very complicated legal (and human) issue. Texas Tech never sued anybody or did anything but follow the rules and the law. But yet, in that 7 days, certain idiot Big 12 coaches and athletic directors, who…
— Cody Campbell (@CodyC64) September 5, 2026
Campbell is not alone in the Red Raider resentment camp. When a university that has always felt like it was overlooked and cast aside is then ganged up on by the entire country just as soon as its football program reaches national prominence, emotions are going to run hot.
The only recourse the Red Raiders have now is to win without Sorsby and make all of the detractors have to watch them succeed. So maybe Campbell didn't take the high road with his remarks. That's fine. Sometimes, it is justifiable to be angry, even if most people don't take the time to understand why.
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