Oklahoma AG is not having it, calls on Sorsby ban by SEC 12

The Brendan Sorsby drama is hardly over, even though the Texas Tech quarterback is set to return in the upcoming college football season, while the NCAA appeals a temporary injunction against a previous decision to ban the player from play.

The ruling by Texas Judge Ken Kurry has raised eyebrows across the college sports world, with multiple officials and heads of athletic departments stepping forward to express their dismay at the ruling. Judge Kurry argued that the player is set to experience irreparable harm, and blocked the immediate banning of Sorsby from play while the NCAA pursues its course against the quarterback. However, another member of the judiciary, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is among the people to disagree with Judge Kurry’s decision. He has urged the Big 12 Conference to suspend Sorsby, urging the conference to act. If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should. Texas Tech should be sanctioned. I also note that the injunction granted to Sorsby applies only to the NCAA. It does not impede the Big 12 from suspending Sorsby, Drummond wrote on Friday. But the fallout is more complicated than it seems. Sorsby was originally blocked from play by the NCAA over the athlete’s $90,000-plus worth of wagers placed on various sports. Sorsby then lawyered up and managed to secure the injunction. The NCAA’s rules on this are pretty clear - a permanent loss of eligibility to compete in the college sports season.

At the same time, the Big 12 has been debating its options on whether it can step in the middle of this mess and restore a semblance of justice. However, the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has cautioned Big 12 to not act hastily or face legal consequences. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark confirmed that the conference had indeed been warned. However, AG Drummond is not convinced Texas has a case there, calling his counterpart’s proposed legal action over antitrust laws meritless.

In fact, Drummond insisted that there is a legal basis to pursue a course against other schools in the Big 12, as a bylaw states that the league’s athletic directors can sanction a member school provided that this member school has engaged in any conduct that is adverse to the best interests of the conference as a whole. Texas Tech has called for others to recognize the fact that Sorsby has been battling a serious condition - gambling addiction that has pushed him to gamble repeatedly. Texas Tech Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt assured that all measures were in place to ensure the safe return of Brendan Sorsby to the team, and that all compliance is met unfalteringly. A decision may come as early as today, June 15, as a meeting is due.