Big 12 Faces Major Decision Amid Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech Controversy

The controversy around the Brendan Sorsby ruling continues to reverberate around college football, and has now attracted the direct attention of the top law enforcement officer in the state of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma attorney general Gentner Drummond has publicly called on the Big 12 to sanction Texas Tech after its quarterback was ruled eligible to play by a judge despite the NCAA banning Sorsby for breaking its sports wagering rules.

"A shameful chapter in the history of college football"

Big 12 Faces Major Decision Amid Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech Controversy — Attorney General Gentner Drummond speaks during a governor forum with the Oklahoma GOP at the Capitol View Events Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday Feb. 28, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In a letter sent to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and chairman Doug Girod, Drummond calls for Texas Tech to face serious consequences over the way he believes the school handled the Sorsby situation.

“I write further to recommend that the Big 12 take action against Texas Tech under Bylaw 3.6, which allows the Conference to sanction member schools if a ‘Supermajority of Disinterested Directors determines’ that a member school has ‘engaged in any action or a course of conduct materially adverse to the best interests of the Conference as a whole,’” Drummond wrote to the conference.

He added: “Sadly, that fits Texas Tech to a T. Its actions in obtaining eligibility for Brendan Sorsby – an athlete the NCAA declared permanently ineligible for extensive wagering on college sports, including games involving his own team – have constituted a shameful chapter in the history of college football.”

#BREAKING: Okla. Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking the Big 12 to sanction Texas Tech following the Brendan Sorsby gambling fallout.

“My office stands ready to assist the Big 12 if Texas Tech's leadership attempts to punish the Conference for doing the right thing.” pic.twitter.com/rrE33tiU9s
— Johnathon Hayes KFOR (@JohnHayesNews) June 12, 2026

“Texas Tech has acted in a manner adverse to the Big 12 and the integrity of college football as a whole,” Drummond added.

Drummond said that his office has a direct interest in the integrity of conference competition given the presence of Big 12 member Oklahoma State residing within his jurisdiction.

Big 12 threatened by Texas AG earlier

The reaction from Oklahoma followed an intervention by Drummond’s opposite number in the Lone Star State, when Texas attorney general Ken Paxton issued a formal letter to Big 12 officials threatening legal action if it sanctioned the school for its support of Sorsby.

And in the process, kicked off a civil war of sorts between rival AGs in border states long known for their college football rivalries.

Paxton said: “This letter serves to notify the Big 12 that any such action would be unlawful and would expose the Conference to substantial liability.”

Paxton’s letter said that Texas would seek more than $200 million from both the Big 12 and its member schools for any lawsuit that may result from their potential actions.

The letter was revealed on the same day that the Big 12 executive committee is reportedly set to meet to discuss a potential course of action after the ruling that made Sorsby eligible, with the board of directors reportedly set to meet on Monday for a vote on any potential sanctions.

How we came to this point

Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech from Cincinnati this offseason, but was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after it was revealed that he wagered some $90,000 on thousands of bets on professional and college sports over a four year period.

But when the quarterback sought an injunction against the NCAA for that decision, a judge in Lubbock, Tex., agreed, making the QB eligible to play football this season, preventing the NCAA from punishing him for breaking its rules on sports gambling, and causing a tidal wave of reaction.

Nebraska and Georgia have already instructed their coaches to avoid scheduling Texas Tech in all sports in the wake of the ruling, and Big 12 members have also considered doing so.

Whatever happens, the decision by one judge in Texas has already caused outrage and raised structural questions around the authority of the NCAA and competitive integrity, not to mention some evolving legal consequences, arguments that will undoubtedly continue into the future.

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