Brendan Sorsby bet on his own team during his brief time at Indiana, which ultimately cost him his season at Texas Tech. In between, though, Sorsby spent two seasons playing for Cincinnati, which brings about obvious questions about what the Bearcats knew and when they knew it.
After months of investigation, the NCAA found Cincinnati did not know enough to punish the school, finding that Sorsby committed a Level III violation and that UC worked proactively with the NCAA to report the quarterback's activities.
"Earlier this summer, NCAA enforcement staff completed an inquiry into a former Cincinnati student-athlete’s prohibited betting activity during his time at the university. The inquiry is now closed, and the student-athlete was found to have committed a Level III violation," Cincinnati told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The NCAA found that Sorsby tried to access PrizePicks in August 2024, but the action was flagged by the ProhiBet app on Sorsby's phone. The app denied Sorsby's ability to access the app, and he was later given gambling education by Cincinnati's compliance staff.
Indiana and Texas Tech were not punished, either, for Sorsby's betting activity while enrolled at their respective institutions. Sorsby himself was ruled ineligible, which was later overturned by a Texas judge, a move that ultimately led to Sorsby withdrawing from Texas Tech against the threat of legal action from the Big 12. "All penalties for this violation are attached to the student-athlete and not the institution or other coaches, staff members or student-athletes," Sorsby said.
“I couldn’t watch sporting activities without wanting to have something at stake, wanting to have some skin on the game,” Sorsby says in a Paramount+ docuseries following Texas Tech's offseason, which debuts Friday, according to an advanced copy viewed by The Athletic. “Whenever I got to Tech, same deal. Making more money than I ever made in my life, no reason to gamble. And yet I still did it. Just chasing a dopamine hit, and that’s where you lose yourself. … I’m walking around the facility and nobody knows that I have a problem gambling. Once I got found out and got caught, I went to rehab to fix my problem. And here we are.”
Sorsby was denied entry to the NFL for the 2026 season and is now preparing for the 2027 draft.
Sorsby and Cincinnati have not seen the last of each other, though. Cincinnati is still pursuing damages after the school said Sorsby breached his NIL contract to leave for Texas Tech.
The 12th-ranked Red Raiders visit Cincinnati on Oct. 24.