Texas Tech vs the Court of Public Opinion

This summer, Texas Tech has found itself having to hear the word “court” surrounded by its name a lot. Public opinion surrounding Texas Tech has been overwhelmingly negative regarding Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s major gambling scandal.

Sep 6, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; A general view of the Texas Tech Red Raiders logo at midfield during the game between the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

This summer, Texas Tech has heard the word “court” attached to its name a lot.

The situation surrounding Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s major gambling scandal has dominated a majority of the headlines surrounding the Red Raiders over the past few weeks. As a result, Tech is facing scrutiny from the public.

Let's begin with the basics. The NCAA ruled Sorsby ineligible back in May after the league learned about Sorsby’s gambling history in March. The NCAA deemed Sorsby ineligible after the league learned about Sorsby’s betting history, which spanned more than four years and totaled nearly $90,000 in bets. Those bets included wagers on one of his former teams in games he did not participate in while at Indiana, when he was a redshirt freshman.

Sorsby entered and completed a rehab program for a diagnosed gambling addiction and diagnosed anxiety disorder. In an effort to regain his eligibility, he pursued independent legal action against the NCAA to secure his eligibility for the 2026 season through a temporary injunction. Tech appealed the NCAA decision while championing efforts for the league to consider Sorsby’s recovery throughout the process.

On this past Monday, in a Lubbock County courthouse, Judge Ken Curry granted Sorsby a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, reinstating his eligibility for the 2026 season. Curry cited Sorsby, saying he would suffer "probable, imminent, and irreparable injury" if he were unable to play in 2026.

As part of the decision, Sorsby will miss Tech’s first two games of the season against Abilene Christian and Oregon State. It was this decision that has sent the college football world into frenzy across the last five days since the banging of the gavel.

This brings us to the present, where fans, athletics departments, and state representatives have all voiced their thoughts on the outcome of the situation so far. Texas Tech has also sent out its message to “clear up some of the points that have been garbled in some of the social media news.”

The university put out a near 22 minute round table discussion video across its social media platforms. In said video, some of the key pillars of the athletic departments and the university, including Head Football Coach Joey McGuire, Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt, University President Lawrence Schovanec, and Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Grant Stovall, all discuss the details of the noise surrounding the Sorsby situation.

One of the major points discussed across the video's run time was the uncertainty around when Sorsby will play again. Coach McGuire mentioned that even though the judge cleared Sorsby to play, there is still no clear timeline for his return to the field.

“It’s day by day, we have a long time before we have to think about when he's going to play football again,” said McGuire. “We have a long time to continue to work with him to help him with this addiction and deal with many things in his life.”

“I think right now so many people can point the finger at like, well he's gonna play, he’s gonna play,” said McGuire. “He can play is what the judge said, what we're trying to do is get him to a healthy space where he feels great about what he is doing, and he can deal with this addiction.”

24 hours earlier at luncheon at the Houston Touchdown Club, McGuire called it “a stretch” that Sorsby would be ready to play by Week 3 on the road against Houston. A point the video doesn’t touch on is the surrounding discussion fellow teams and conferences are having across the country in college football.

Throughout the week, according to reports, the Big Ten has had conversations surrounding a potential conference-wide hiatus of playing the Red Raiders. While the Big 12 held a conversation with athletic directors across the conference discussing the “broader implications of the situation,” Commissioner Brett Yormark confirmed in a statement the next day after the results of the hearing. Yormark confirmed that the dialogue of the discussion “would remain in the conference.”

In response to the discussions, CBS Senior National College Football reporter Brandon Marcello said. Texas Tech would consider “legal action” if any other programs or conferences attempted to exclude the Red Raiders from competition or impede their scheduling. However, it's not just schools set to take action, but lawmakers as well.

Yesterday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote a letter addressed to Yormark and the Big 12 Conference chair of the board of directors, Douglas Girod, stating that any of the conference efforts to sanction Tech would “be a violation of federal and state antitrust laws.” Before today, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond called the claims from Paxton “meritless.”

The NCAA appealed the injunction, with a date set for February, well after the college football season for now. There is no clear answer to what happens going forward, but the college football world is answering that Sorsby can play in 2026. But no one knows how long this tug of war between Texas Tech and seemingly anyone in or out of the conference will last.

Nonetheless, public opinion surrounding Texas Tech has seemingly been very negative.

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