Texas Tech announced Monday that quarterback Brendan Sorsby is seeking treatment for a gambling addiction. No timetable was given for Sorsby's return.
"We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help," Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said in a statement. "Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health."
Of course, it's easier to say take all the time you need in late April than late August. The Red Raiders wrapped up spring football April 17. The Denton, Texas, product was rated the No. 1 player in most transfer portal rankings following a season in which he fired 27 touchdowns against just five interceptions for Cincinnati. Sorsby has been mocked as a possible first-round pick in next April's draft but, more immediately, Texas Tech paid a reported $5 million to acquire him from the Bearcats.
And getting Sorsby back in the lineup could be more complicated than waiting for him to complete treatment.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the NCAA has opened an investigation into wagers Sorsby allegedly made on Indiana football games, where Sorsby signed out of high school. While redshirting in 2022, Sorsby allegedly made an unspecified number of bets on IU football, none of which occurred on games he played in.
Still, the NCAA rule book specifies "student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools" face "permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports." The organization released the guideline in 2023, so it's not immediately clear how that would or would not apply to Sorsby, whose bets allegedly took place in 2022. Sorsby's wagers were reportedly a series of small-dollar bets, and the amount bet is crucial for his eligibility, per the NCAA handbook. Wagers totaling less than $200 would not require any loss of time, $201 to $500 would lead to a suspension of 10 percent of his season, $501 to $800 could be a suspension lasting 30 percent of this season, and above $800 could lead to the permanent loss of eligibility. Any charges against Sorsby would be brought by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
Sorsby is not the first high-profile quarterback to get caught up in gambling allegations from his previous school. Weeks before last season opened, screen shots surfaced of Oklahoma QB John Mateer making Venmo payments with "sports gambling" and "UCLA versus USC" in the memo line. Coincidentally, those payments also took place in 2022, when Mateer was at Washington State. Mateer claimed they were inside jokes and did not miss any time.
The NCAA last year moved to allow its coaches and players to wager on professional sports. Young men are at significant risk for developing a gambling addiction, with as many as 60 percent of college-aged men having at least dabbled in the activity. The NCAA pushed forward with the idea that its ban on pro-sports gambling made the problem worse by discouraging its athletes to seek help when needed, but after public backlash the organization reversed course and re-instituted its ban on all forms of sports gambling.
If Sorsby is to miss time, it could be a significant blow for the defending Big 12 champions, who are widely expected to repeat this fall. Backup quarterback Will Hammond tore his ACL last season and is not expected to return until Week 3 at the earliest. Behind them, the only other experienced signal caller on the roster is junior Kirk Francis, who threw 462 passes across three seasons at Tulsa.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.