Coaches, ADs 'disgusted,' 'stunned' with Brendan Sorsby ruling
A judge's decision to rule Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby eligible on Monday morning roiled college sports, with reactions ranging from doomsday predictions to informal chatter about Big 12 schools attempting to not play the Red Raiders this season.
The reaction around college sports was nearly unanimous, with the idea of Sorsby playing in 2026 after admitting to thousands of bets on sports -- including 40 on his own team -- representing the latest crossroads for an industry that has faced a dizzying number of them in recent years.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told ESPN the ruling represents a "horrendous pattern" that is "eroding the integrity of our process." A Big 12 athletic director told ESPN that they are "disgusted" and added: "We officially lost our soul." TCU coach Sonny Dykes told ESPN: "How is anyone ever going to trust the outcome of a game again?"
In a memo to staff, Georgia AD Josh Brooks forbade his school's teams from playing Texas Tech, as per the document obtained by ESPN. Nebraska AD Troy Dannen told ESPN that his school's teams are also not allowed to schedule Texas Tech.
Florida AD Scott Stricklin told ESPN he was "stunned," even recalling Major League Baseball's 1919 "Black Sox Scandal," when eight players from the Chicago White Sox took bribes to lose the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.
"As someone who grew up reading about the 'Black Sox Scandal,' and seeing what happened to Pete Rose and just understanding how bright that line seemed to be in all of American sports, I'm stunned that there would be a question at the court level that this is acceptable," Stricklin said. "That's not a judgment on the young man. It's just that was a pretty fundamental tenet of American sports, that if you're going to participate, you can't gamble, especially on your own team."
TCU athletic director Mike Buddie and Kansas State AD Gene Taylor both told ESPN that there has been informal chatter in the league about schools not playing Texas Tech this year.
"We anticipate having conversations surrounding it," Buddie told ESPN. "We're all anticipating it, but this has not been formally discussed."
The Big 12 athletic directors are set to have a conference call Tuesday with commissioner Brett Yormark, according to sources, and in a statement made to ESPN, Yormark confirmed meetings will occur this week. It's unknown how much purview the league would have, as the judge's ruling is law.
"The ramifications of today's ruling are significant and could have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership," Yormark told ESPN. "I've been consulting with our key stakeholders and have scheduled meetings with our conference ADs and executive board this week. We are also in touch with [NCAA president] Charlie Baker and anticipate the NCAA to appeal the order in the next 24-48 hours. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation."
Taylor said that there have been "side comments" about not playing Texas Tech in Big 12 meetings by a few athletic directors but acknowledged that it might not be an option.
Taylor didn't hold back with his opinions, calling it: "A sad day for not only college athletics, but college sports in general. I give him credit for admitting and seeking help for his addiction, but to put him back in a high-profile, stressful role with that type of an issue is not helping him. But I am not an addiction professional, so what do I know."
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement that he was "disheartened" by the news, as Sorsby's violations were "clear violations of NCAA policies and ethical guidelines." He added that "we are all committed to supporting student-athlete well-being, but we also must have a definitive path forward that preserves the most basic tenets of competitive integrity in our industry."
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