Texas Tech: 'We broke no rules, no laws, and crossed no ethical lines' in Brendan Sorsby case
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
The Brendan Sorsby saga is over.
Texas Tech announced Monday night the quarterback will not play college football this fall, despite a Lubbock County judge’s injunction that granted him eligibility.
That decision caused a firestorm as other schools threatened boycotting Texas Tech, and the Big 12 filed its own lawsuit against one of its member schools and attorneys general in Kansas, Utah and Texas got involved.
Sorsby, who admitted to gambling on his own team while at Indiana in 2022 and to making thousands of more bets, will enter the NFL supplemental draft, which hasn’t taken place since 2019.
Cody Campbell, Chairman of the Board of the Texas Tech University Board of Regents and a Senior Member of the President’s Blue Ribbon Council on College Sports, posted a lengthy letter Monday detailing Sorsby’s situation, the school’s stance and the need for Congressional action as college sports continues to drift toward chaos.
“The bottom line is that Texas Tech did absolutely nothing but act with complete integrity through this entire process,” Campbell wrote. “We broke no rules, no laws, and crossed no ethical lines. We are proud to represent a university that supports its students the way that we do — especially in a growingly professionalized college sports world, that often treats these young people like nothing more than commodities.”
Here is that letter in full:
To Whom It May Concern:
All members of the Texas Tech community are familiar with the most poignant line in our Alma mater: “Strive for Honor Evermore.” These lyrics are ingrained in our culture, and they truly define who we are. We attract applicants and produce graduates who possess incredible integrity, work ethic and grit.
We always strive to do what is right, even when doing the right thing is not popular. We are not swayed or affected by criticism or opinions from outside of the Red Raider family about how we operate. We are tough enough to take any heat that might come from doing the right thing.
Recently, the situation surrounding Brendan Sorsby has put that to the test. But throughout it all, Texas Tech acted with the utmost integrity in following all NCAA protocol, provided complete transparency and cooperated with them in every possible way.
The truth is, contrary to the public narrative, Texas Tech’s only objectives have been to protect the well-being and best interest of one of our new students, his fellow student-athletes, our institution, and our community.
Texas Tech conducted thorough and appropriate background checks before signing Brendan, and upon arrival on campus, he immediately became a great leader, a great teammate, and displayed the highest level of character in all aspects of his life. It should be noted that Texas Tech had absolutely no knowledge of any of his history of gambling activity until months after he arrived in Lubbock, and there was absolutely no indication that he was dealing with veiled issues of any kind. However, when first confronted with the situation, Brendan immediately took full responsibility and there was never any indication that was he was anything but honest with our administration or officials.
As we further investigated, the data made it clear that Brendan has a bona fide medal health condition, in the form of a gambling addiction. He needed immediate help. As an institution, whose primary charge is to better the lives and futures of its students, we stood behind him, helped him find the best possible treatment, and continue to support his recovery. Even though he has never taken a snap for us, we will continue to support him, as we do all Red Raiders.
One important fact has been broadly misunderstood: It was NOT Texas Texas that filed the at-issue lawsuit against the NCAA, seeking his reinstatement. This lawsuit was brought by the student-athlete, himself, and he paid for the full legal expenses of doing so. Brendan was granted an injunction, by a state judge in the appropriate jurisdiction, that legally restored his eligibility. Had the decision gone the other way, we would have respected the court’s decision, while continuing to support Brendan’s treatment and recovery.
The bottom line is that Texas Tech did absolutely nothing but act with complete integrity through this entire process. We broke no rules, no laws, and crossed no ethical lines. We are proud to represent a university that supports its students the way that we do — especially in a growingly professionalized college sports world, that often treats these young people like nothing more than commodities.
Fort the last several years, I have been a strong advocate for the reform of college sports. It is undeniable that the system has descended into a bottomless pit of chaos. Long before this matter, it was obvious to me that the current state of college sports was unsustainable. On a personal note, I would like to make it clear that my perspective and motivations with respect to college sports reform have not changed, nor has my resolve to advance the interests of my own institution. These two efforts and sentiments are not in conflict.
We, at Texas Tech, have done everything we can to be as competitive as possible in this new space and under this new set of rules, but that does not change the fact that I am deeply concerned about the state of college sports and want to see it reformed. Clearly, the situation is not acceptable nor sustainable at present, but ‘it is what it is’, and we have had to live and to compete in it.
I am motivated to fix college sports because I want to make sure that the 500,000+ student athletes in this country are provided the same opportunity for education and personal development that I benefited from through college sports. I have achieved success in my personal and professional life, largely because of this opportunity. I have spent a great deal of time and effort working to preserve and protect every single student-athlete, every single institution, and every single community in this country. I carry strong resolve to preserve the national treasure of college sports. My efforts are deeply personal because of how important I believe the unparalleled role of college athletes is in the development of tomorrow’s leaders. We can’t just stand idly by while the system crumbles around us.
These same deep beliefs and feelings cause me great sadness as I inform you that Brendan Sorsby will not be part of the Texas Tech football team this fall. He will be stripped of the opportunity to continue to develop as a better and stronger man, stripped of his last opportunity to compete at the highest level of college sports, and I pray that he can stay on his path to recovery.
Texas Tech will continue to provide the support and recovery resources Brendan requires on this journey. Furthermore, Texas Tech will not seek return of any amounts already paid to Brendan through his NIL agreements with the University.
This decision was made with Brendan and his family and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation. Brendan and Texas Tech stand on very solid and legitimate legal ground, but he faces a June 22nd deadline to be eligible to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, and there is not practical way to resolve all the various pending legal disputes and ensure his eligibility prior to this date. This is the only viable and fair path for Brendan and his future, as well as for his teammates, and our university.
Brendan, while he made many mistakes that he openly admits, has also been part of a much larger broken and predatory system, and we believe that all people deserve a second chance. It is gut-wrenching that there is no viable path to providing him with redemption at the college level.
This horrible situation strengthens our belief that college sports need meaningful reform, and I know carry even greater resolve to see that these reforms are made. We know that, until there is Congressional action, Texas Tech, like every other institution, must continue to operate under the rules, the legal environment, and general chaos that persists. It is my goal that no other institution or student-athlete is forced to face a chain of events such as this one. Fortunately, there is a promising light at the end of the tunnel: the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, which will finally put a stop to this instanity. This bill has our full support.
We wish our best to Brendan, and we offer our prayers to him and his family as he chases his dreams at the next level. This has been an unbelievably painful experience for us all, but I know that his true, underlying chracter and lessons learned through this experience will ultimately bring him great success on the field of play and in life.
Love Live the Matadors!
Sincerely,
Cody Campbell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas Tech, Cody Campbell respond to Brendan Sorsby news
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos