NCAA Filing Reveals Extent of Brendan Sorsby's Gambling Activity

The Athletic has reported that, per an opposition response to Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby's lawsuit against the NCAA, the former Indiana Hoosiers and Cincinnati Bearcats signal-caller admitted to wagering at least $90,000 on more than 9,000 bets over his college career. 

NCAA Filing Details Sorsby's Betting Activity

According to the report, an online sportsbook told the NCAA about the gambling after it was approached by law enforcement. Before this revelation, it wasn't entirely clear what led the NCAA to investigate Sorsby. 

In the NCAA's latest filing, it was revealed that Sorsby made at least 40 bets on Indiana football, one of his former teams, in various capacities between September 2, 2022, and October 22, 2022. The wagers totaled $850. Additionally, over the course of his two years at Indiana, he placed about 40 bets on Hoosiers men's basketball games for more than $1,400, and an additional 300 bets for at least $6,500 on other college football games unrelated to Indiana. 

During his gambling, he used PrizePicks, Underdog, FanDuel, and Hard Rock Bet. He used accounts under his name as well as those of friends and family. 

Overall, while at Indiana, Sorsby placed more than 8,600 wagers for more than $30,000. Then, when he transferred to Cincinnati, the number of bets was about 500, but the amount of money was higher than at Indiana, at about $38,000. One of the wagers at Cincinnati included a wager of $3,500 on Cincinnati men's basketball. 

Also in the response, it was revealed that after transferring to Texas Tech, Sorsby transferred $5,000 to a friend who placed bets on his behalf via prediction market apps. Right now, legal sports gambling isn't legal in Texas; thus, he used prediction markets. 

Sorsby Seeks Eligibility Restoration

Sorsby's attorneys have submitted facts stating that Sorsby never wagered on a game he was playing in and never manipulated or jeopardized the integrity of a game on which he placed wagers. 

“Once I became part of the active roster with an opportunity to play, I immediately stopped betting on Indiana,” Sorsby wrote in a statement to the NCAA. “However, my gambling on other sports did not stop; it escalated and became compulsive.”

Sorsby recently filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking an injunction to restore his eligibility for the 2026 season. Recently, he was deemed ineligible by the NCAA for gambling violations. 

Now, if Sorsby doesn't receive an injunction, his option would be to declare for the NFL Supplemental Draft before the June 22 deadline. 

Sorsby recently completed a residential treatment program for a gambling and anxiety disorder. 

NCAA Opposes Reinstatement Ahead of Hearing

That said, the NCAA doesn't seem to plan on changing its mind. 

“Granting relief here would have broad-ranging and destabilizing ramifications. The relief (Sorsby) seeks would make the NCAA the first and only major American sports league to allow an athlete to compete after betting on his own games,” the NCAA’s opposition response reads. “And it would undermine the integrity of college athletics by rewarding conduct that is universally prohibited in American sports.”

There's a hearing on June 1 at 9 am local time. A ruling could be delivered, but Judge Ken Curry isn't required to make one immediately.