- The Big 12 filed a complaint against Texas Tech, AG Ken Paxton, and university officials to preserve the conference’s authority to sanction conference members.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned the conference not to punish Texas Tech for playing Sorsby, but now the Big 12 are starting the path to sanction the Red Raiders.
- The conference is only aiming to discipline Texas Tech and not seeking to overturn Sorsby’s eligibility decision or claim financial damages.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Despite warnings from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Big 12 wants to enforce their bylaws against Texas Tech with potential sanctions regarding Brendan Sorsby. According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, the Big 12 filed a 47-page complaint against Texas Tech, the attorney general of Texas, the system chancellor, as well as their school president and athletic director.
The conference wants clarity on their authority to enforce bylaws, which comes after a judge granted Brendan Sorsby eligibility for the 2026 season. Sorsby admitted to sports betting on college football games, including bets on his own team during his time with the Indiana Hoosiers.
The NCAA initially declared him permanently ineligible, but a Texas court allowed Sorsby to return to play through a temporary injunction. The decision has left the Big 12 wanting more clarity on their ability to enforce their own rules, which is the main purpose of the complaint rather than a challenge of the court’s ruling.
Big 12 Wants Sorsby Benched, Texas Tech Disagrees
The Big 12 made their position clear in Monday’s filing, stating that “In an industry that rarely agrees on anything, there is finally an issue that everyone seems to agree on (other than TTU and the Attorney General): universities should not field players who have bet on their own team’s games in college athletics.”
The filing states that Big 12 officials requested that Texas Tech not play Sorsby despite being granted eligibility, but Texas Tech has not agreed to that request. Some of the potential sanctions that the Big 12 mentioned in their complaint include a ban on participating in the Big 12 Championship Game and/or monetary sanctions.
The biggest college football betting scandal of the summer isn’t done yet.
