Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is set to be eligible for the 2026 season after being granted an injunction against the NCAA on Monday, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
The ruling by a judge in Lubbock County, Texas, asserts that Sorsby would suffer a "probable, imminent, and irreparable injury" if the court did not issue the temporary injunction, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.
Sorsby was deemed ineligible after acknowledging he gambled on sports, including his own team, during his time at Indiana. He took a leave of absence in April and recently completed an inpatient gambling addiction treatment program.
The NCAA cannot prevent Sorsby from practicing, playing, or participating for Texas Tech this season, the ruling states. He'll be suspended for the first two games, a punishment his legal team originally suggested to the NCAA.
"The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court's ruling in Sorsby's case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching, and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome - which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports," the governing body said in a statement Monday. "The NCAA is committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one's own sport."
It was previously reported that Sorsby gambled on Indiana football games in 2022 but only to win. Sorsby apparently made thousands of online bets on numerous sports through a gambling app. He spent the last two seasons at Cincinnati.
Sorsby's attorney called the ruling a "just result."
"Brendan gets to devote himself to his team and the education of athletes on the dangers of gambling addiction," attorney Jeffrey Kessler said, according to Thamel. "He will continue his treatment, miss two games, and there is no injury to the competitive integrity of the NCAA. It is what we proposed and what the NCAA should have accepted had it been true to its promises to prioritize the welfare of athletes."
Sorsby expressed gratitude for the opportunity to rejoin his teammates and for the support he's received.
"This opportunity comes with the responsibility to remain focused on my personal growth, the ability to learn from this experience, and to be able to use my situation to help others going forward," he said in a statement.
Athletic director Kirby Hocutt said Texas Tech remains "committed to supporting Brendan's recovery and ensuring his compliance with the court's order." Hocutt added that clinical care, monitoring, and compliance checks are part of the school's support structure for Sorsby.
