The life force to truly care about this is waning. This feels like a disaster in every way. As an attorney, that doesn’t ever sue anyone any time there’s a lawsuit the first question you should ask what are the damages. As of right now, there are no damages (I don’t believe any were pled by the Big 12). None by the Big 12 and none by Texas Tech. If there are no damages, then this lawsuit doesn’t feel ripe or ready. However, the Big 12 is asking the court to determine something that hasn’t happened and that is very odd. Asking the court to decide something is typically an “advisory opinion”. The exception is for a declaratory judgement, but there must be imminent threat of a dispute. My guess is that Paxton’s letter may have backfired and the Big 12 is maybe saying that Paxton’s letter created that imminent threat. Please don’t take this as an expert thought because I’m barely an attorney.
I mentioned to a co-worker today that the easy solution would be for Brendan Sorsby to just say that he’s declaring for the NFL Supplemental Draft and make all of this go away, which is what he did on Monday night.
Sources: Texas Tech transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby plans to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft. Amid the legal wrangling over his NCAA eligibility after admitting he bet on sports, he intends to head to the NFL. pic.twitter.com/jXnkg0IZ5W
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 16, 2026
to get so out of hand |
 Buy Me a Coffee Strava’s Staking The Plains Running ClubPLEASE NOTE: Words that are in italics are quotes from a story or link. |
What this does say is that Texas Tech will go to the mat for any player and that Sorsby eventually figured out that by staying he was royally screwing Texas Tech, intentionally or not.
Ed. Note: I wrote the above on Monday night trying to theorize how the Big 12 was able to get around the ripeness argument and Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger writes that Paxton’s threatened legal action was the lever that allowed the Big 12 to sue Texas Tech:
It opened a lane for the Big 12’s suit. The league’s filing on Monday asked a federal judge to bar Paxton’s office from preventing the conference from exercising its right under the bylaws to sanction Tech. The conference sought no damages in the filing and did not challenge a state court ruling that deemed Sorsby eligible, but instead requested a judge to permit it to take action in light of Paxton’s legal threats — a lawsuit that many within the legal community expected the Big 12 to win.
/snip/
A 47-page legal filing from Sidley Austin, as it turns out, may have been the impetus to close the book on the ordeal. In the complaint, the league made three main requests to a federal judge: grant an injunction to allow it to exercise its First Amendment rights to invoke its authority under its bylaws; dismiss Paxton’s claims that any sanction is an antitrust violation; and grant it the right to penalize a member school for violating the dormant Commerce Clause, which prevents state governments from enacting laws that impact competition or commence across a variety of states.
The Big 12’s legal threat put Sorsby in an interesting dilemma: Continue down this path, possibly subjecting Texas Tech to a Big 12 sanction protected through a federal injunction, or apply for the NFL Supplemental Draft (the application deadline is next Monday).
End of Ed. Note.
Hammond or bust in 2026.
I need for someone to file an FOIA to request to request that Cincinnati provide any and all emails, correspondence, documentation, or any materials that would have conveyed to any third party Sorsby’s gambling addiction.
Relevant tweets and statements.
Statement regarding Brendan Sorsby.
Long Live the Matadors! pic.twitter.com/FxPd00uT9L— Cody Campbell (@CodyC64) June 16, 2026
— Kirby Hocutt (@kirbyhocutt) June 16, 2026
Statement from former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby on Instagram:
“I am grateful for the support from my family, my Tech coaching staff, teammates, the community, and so many others who have encouraged me to address and learn more about this important issue. As my… pic.twitter.com/hJ71kRqZBk
— Keith Inglis (@KeithInglisDT) June 16, 2026
These are the articles before Sorsby declared for the NFL Supplemental Draft.
Sportico’s Michael McCann: Big 12 Sues Texas Tech, Ken Paxton as Sorsby Legal Battle Expands
Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger: Big 12 pursuing legal action against Texas Tech, Texas attorney general over Brendan Sorsby