Big 12 commissioner Brent Yormark dodges questions about Brendan Sorsby saga
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FRISCO, TX – This is the biggest media event of the year for the Big 12 Conference – Big 12 football media days at the Star with an audience of hundreds of reporters. But Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark shut down questions about the Big 12’s biggest offseason story when asked about it Tuesday July 7.
“Today is not the time to address that issue,” Yormark said. “Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools.”
That issue is the Big 12’s conflict with Big 12 member Texas Tech over its handling of the gambling violations involving Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. The league even has a lawsuit still pending against Tech about it.
At one point, Yormark even accused a reporter of misquoting him when challenged about Sorsby.
Brett Yormark: ‘You misquoted me’
The reporter had noted how the Big 12 previously sold the notion of being “greater than 12” when promoting the league’s 16 teams – a notion that might seem at odds with the league suing one of its own members. The same reporter noted Cincinnati, another Big 12 team, didn’t get in trouble for playing Sorsby despite indications that the school knew about his gambling violations, which Cincinnati has denied.
Yormark asked the reporter to stand up and repeat the question. Then he answered him like this:
“No, I didn’t say greater than 12; you misquoted me,” Yormark said. “I said, ‘We’re going forward as 16 strong.’ And that’s my answer to your question. But thank you for that question. Appreciate it.”
Meanwhile, all this is happening while Tech is the reigning Big 12 football champion and is picked to win the league again with a roster valued at a league-high $32.9 million, according to The NIL Standard, which estimates values of college name, image and likeness deals (NIL).
In other places, this is the kind of team a league would celebrate. Not here. Not now.
Brendan Sorsby case background
In June, a Texas judge had issued a temporary injunction that cleared the way for Sorsby to play in 2026 after he was previously banned for violating NCAA rules against gambling. This injunction benefited Tech, who wanted to take advantage of it and play Sorsby this season despite his gambling transgressions.
But this instead triggered a revolt from other Big 12 schools, who thought this was all going too far in the name of fielding a winning team while making a mockery of the rules. Then after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stepped in and threatened legal action to protect Tech’s rights, the Big 12 responded.
On June 14, the Big 12 sued Paxton and Texas Tech, a league member since 1996. It has not yet been dismissed even though Tech eventually relented and Sorsby decided to pursue professional football instead. The lawsuit is seeking a declaratory judgment against Tech that allows it to punish Tech if warranted for its handling of the sports betting activity.
It also seeks attorneys’ fees for its trouble of bringing the lawsuit.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big 12 commissioner Brent Yormark dodges questions about Brendan Sorsby saga
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