Paul Finebaum questions ‘integrity’ of college football with Brendan Sorsby, calls out Cody Campbell

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ESPN’s Paul Finebaum questioned the “integrity” of college football amid the Brendan Sorsby ruling and called out booster Cody Campbell. Campbell has been integral to Texas Tech’s NIL success in recent years, particularly with football.

As On3’s Pete Nakos reported, Sorsby’s original deal to transfer from Cincinnati to Texas Tech was in the $5 million range for this coming season. Amid revelations of his gambling addiction, Sorsby was sent to treatment and ultimately ruled ineligible to play college football after placing upwards of $90,000 worth of bets since his days at Indiana.

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But a preliminary injunction allows him to play this fall in a move that has sent shockwaves throughout the sport. Finebaum had enough and called out Campbell, among others, on Tuesday.

“Well, college sports is in trouble right now,” Finebaum said on Get Up. “An AD said yesterday, Greeny, that this ruling has cost the sport its soul, not true. The sport lost its soul a long time ago. And this just simply exposes, you said it a minute ago, college sports is a house of cards, and it is crashing, and the one thing that could damage what we all enjoy on Saturday is the integrity of the game. This is now in play. It’s entirely up to two different entities: Texas Tech to say, ‘you know what, we agree with everyone else in college sports, and we’re going to sit him,’ or the Big 12 commissioner. 

“The problem with Texas Tech is that their biggest benefactor is Cody Campbell, he’s a billionaire, and he’s the one speaking and screaming the loudest. He sat right behind Ted Cruz the other day at the Senate hearing, and he is trying to push this bill, so that’s another factor that’s probably going to be damaged by this. But unfortunately, Greeny, there’s no way out, because this is not going to go back, the appellate system will not work, this judge cleverly decided that the trial should take place in February. By then, Sorsby will be at the NFL Combine.”

Funny enough, Campbell called the Sorsby ruling an “outcome of a broken system.” You can read his full statement to the ruling below.

“This unfortunate situation is the outcome of a broken system,” Campbell said. “I’m doing everything I can to fix it, but until there is a permanent solution, Texas Tech and its student athletes have to do the best they can to navigate and compete amid the chaos that exists in the reality of the world we live in.”

Judge Ken Curry ruled that Sorsby would suffer “probable, imminent, and irreparable injury” if he were prevented from playing for Texas Tech this season. The NCAA cannot prohibit Sorsby from practicing or competing while the case proceeds.

Viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in college football entering the season, Sorsby elected to return to school instead of entering the NFL Draft. Sources previously told On3 that his NIL agreement with Texas Tech exceeds $5 million. The NCAA has strongly opposed the court’s decision.

“The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby’s case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome, which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports,” the organization said in a statement.

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