Texas Tech transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby is checking into a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction.

Donate To GopherHole
MNVCGUY said:
I guess from that perspective that does make sense.

This is a really slippery slope. If you let a player use mental health as a reason for gambling and a way to excuse it that sets a really dangerous precedent that we all know will get abused.

I get the temptation for these guys has to be huge with the explosion of gambling and how easy it has become to place bets but the reality is that it is not a secret that college athletes are not allowed to bet on sports and it is made very clear to them from very early on in their time with a program.

The only truly encouraging thing about this is that everyone actually seems really united on this one outside of Lubbock which is a real rarity these days.
Click to expand...
agree 100%. And I get TTU saying well we didn't know when we signed him and this came to light after he transferred, but you do now and you can choose to act accordingly.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Wow....I'm actually surprised the idea of not playing TT in any sport seems to have some actual legs, I figured that was just bluster.

That actually seems over the top to me....I mean the Sorsby thing is ridiculous but not sure why other sports at the school should get punished because the football team wants to bring in a guy who got busted for gambling while at a different school. Saying you won't schedule the football team makes sense, saying you won't play them in women's volleyball because of this seems pretty extreme.
Click to expand...
Because it needs to be punitive. Texas Tech needs to feel real pain over this. They can fill out a mediocre schedule of creampuffs for a year and take the hit...but if they are blackballed completely they risk serious financial problems.

Plus this will act as a new line in the sand when another school tries something like this. Is it worth bankrupting your Athletic Department to play a guy who would be banned in any other league?
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
There’s zero accountability in this country anymore and it extends well beyond college sports.
Click to expand...
It's ridiculously discouraging how many supervisory interviews I've sat in on where some variation of the question "What does accountability mean to you and how do you ensure accountability amongst your staff" comes up followed by stammering, stuttering, and/or crickets.

Outside of family, there are very few social constructs that promote accountability anymore. Those that do are getting torn apart for partisan reasons, and its happening on both sides. Honor, which Americans used to wear as a badge of honor across the board, is considered laughable by those who carry a ton of influence among a slack jawed public who stare at a phone all day. And we did it to ourselves. We exchanged freedom for convenience.
 



GopherTheJugular said:
Trust me, it's a great idea. I used to watch from Gameday until around midnight. Now I only care about Gopher games. So much more gets done on Saturdays now.
Click to expand...
I’m interested in one game per Saturday and it’s the gophers, while I might watch a few minutes here and there of other teams during the day but it’s Gophers Saturday for me no football Saturday like it used to be.
 


I’m not sure if he has an NFL future but assuming not Sorsby has a golden opportunity to make bank on prop bets this season. Given his demonstrated lack of impulse control and gambling addiction Texas Tech football will be a three ring circus unless they eject him off the campus and soon.
 




Pompous Elitist said:
I’m not sure if he has an NFL future but assuming not Sorsby has a golden opportunity to make bank on prop bets this season. Given his demonstrated lack of impulse control and gambling addiction Texas Tech football will be a three ring circus unless they eject him off the campus and soon.
Click to expand...
I'm a little too old to know how to use kalshi or whatever (is it an app?) but I'd be curious to know what type of prediction bets exist on him and TT this fall.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I’m not sure if he has an NFL future but assuming not Sorsby has a golden opportunity to make bank on prop bets this season. Given his demonstrated lack of impulse control and gambling addiction Texas Tech football will be a three ring circus unless they eject him off the campus and soon.
Click to expand...
I think there needs to be a rule that Sorsby can't have his phone in the huddle.
 

Sorsby is the tip of the iceberg. But let’s be real, officials and conferences have always had their fingers on the scales when it comes to fair competition. Maybe I’m cynical. Do I believe a QB will intentionally throw 4 interceptions to make $500k? I don’t know. Probably not? Depends. Sure. Yes.

Not sure how to put the egg back together re: easy gambling, or commodity trading as the current brain trust at CTFC treats it so states are crowded out from regulation. Maybe our imperial overlords can pass something in congress? That’s a problem when the big cheese/fam/friends/goons all seem to like to play.

At first glance, these contracts might appear to be economically equivalent to a typical moneyline bet (i.e., a wager on the outright winner of a game or an event). But the CFTC has taken the position that sports-related event contracts are swaps subject to the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). They maintain that the CEA’s definition of “swap” is broad, covering “any” agreement dependent on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of an event associated with a potential financial, economic, or commercial consequence. The CFTC stated its position in a February 2026 amicus brief to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, asserting that when Congress has wanted to exclude specific products from the Commission’s jurisdiction, it has done so explicitly.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Sorsby is the tip of the iceberg. But let’s be real, officials and conferences have always had their fingers on the scales when it comes to fair competition. Maybe I’m cynical. Do I believe a QB will intentionally throw 4 interceptions to make $500k? I don’t know. Probably not? Depends. Sure. Yes.

Not sure how to put the egg back together re: easy gambling, or commodity trading as the current brain trust at CTFC treats it so states are crowded out from regulation. Maybe our imperial overlords can pass something in congress? That’s a problem when the big cheese/fam/friends/goons all seem to like to play.

At first glance, these contracts might appear to be economically equivalent to a typical moneyline bet (i.e., a wager on the outright winner of a game or an event). But the CFTC has taken the position that sports-related event contracts are swaps subject to the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). They maintain that the CEA’s definition of “swap” is broad, covering “any” agreement dependent on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of an event associated with a potential financial, economic, or commercial consequence. The CFTC stated its position in a February 2026 amicus brief to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, asserting that when Congress has wanted to exclude specific products from the Commission’s jurisdiction, it has done so explicitly.
Click to expand...
From the NCAA (or any sports league), they will always have easy access, but this is 100% why you need harsh punishment for someone who is caught doing so, regardless of circumstances. Players are banned from numerous competitive avenues for "gambling" on the outcome ranging from competitive Esports, ping pong, baseball, and now college sports. Some will decide it's worth it to take the risk, some will not. But if the punishment is a small slap on the wrist and you get to keep making money off the profession, then yes that's a risk that's worth taking.

The what they do about it from a gov't standpoint is going to wade pretty heavily into political waters. Would probably keep that to the OTB as it's going to turn very non-discussional given what past and current administrations have done on a state and national level.

The NCAA angle seems pretty straightforward to me and is part of why I expect if they can't take in court legal action, that teams will ban playing them which they are within right to do without legal recourse, the same as the NCAA could ban them from post season play.
 



upnorthkid said:
From the NCAA (or any sports league), they will always have easy access, but this is 100% why you need harsh punishment for someone who is caught doing so, regardless of circumstances. Players are banned from numerous competitive avenues for "gambling" on the outcome ranging from competitive Esports, ping pong, baseball, and now college sports. Some will decide it's worth it to take the risk, some will not. But if the punishment is a small slap on the wrist and you get to keep making money off the profession, then yes that's a risk that's worth taking.

The what they do about it from a gov't standpoint is going to wade pretty heavily into political waters. Would probably keep that to the OTB as it's going to turn very non-discussional given what past and current administrations have done on a state and national level.

The NCAA angle seems pretty straightforward to me and is part of why I expect if they can't take in court legal action, that teams will ban playing them which they are within right to do without legal recourse, the same as the NCAA could ban them from post season play.
Click to expand...

Instead of going after individual players the schools that enable this could be ostracized. That would take strong leadership which is nowhere in sight. Has the Big 12 taken an aggressive stance re: TT. I’ll be shocked…it could cost them money in the near term.
 

A couple of things:

None of the TTU grads on the appeals court will be on the 3 judge panel that will hear the appeal.

Sorsby only has to continue his court-mandated treatment while enrolled at TTU (meaning only fall semester). That part is bogus.

The NFL will probably ban him for his rookie year. That has been the punishment for gambling going back to Karras & Hornung.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I’m not sure if he has an NFL future but assuming not Sorsby has a golden opportunity to make bank on prop bets this season. Given his demonstrated lack of impulse control and gambling addiction Texas Tech football will be a three ring circus unless they eject him off the campus and soon.
Click to expand...
Apparently teams were eying him in the upcoming supplemental draft because they assumed the NCAA would ban him, I know it's a deeper class in 2027, but sounds like he's going to get drafted one way or another
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
A couple of things:

None of the TTU grads on the appeals court will be on the 3 judge panel that will hear the appeal.

Sorsby only has to continue his court-mandated treatment while enrolled at TTU (meaning only fall semester). That part is bogus.

The NFL will probably ban him for his rookie year. That has been the punishment for gambling going back to Karras & Hornung.
Click to expand...
And let's not forget the blackballing of Connie Hawkins who was implicated in a point-shaving scandal that ironically he could have never been a part of seeing he was a freshman during the scandal in an era when freshman couldn't play.

This whole episode shows how much the landscape surrounding college an pro sports has changed and the change has accelerated dramatically post-NIL (not a comment on NIL but on the pace of change).

I think there is a difference between Sorsby and Pete Rose because Rose was in a supervisory position. Rose was betting on his team to win, but during his trial the erratic nature of his player usage (especially his pitching staff) was pointed out which while not a smoking gun indicated something was likely amiss.

I would be curious to know what Sorsby's bets on himself and Cincinnati entailed. Does anyone have more information on that? Was he betting to cover the spread? Was he doing prop bets on his own stats?
 

50PoundHead said:
And let's not forget the blackballing of Connie Hawkins who was implicated in a point-shaving scandal that ironically he could have never been a part of seeing he was a freshman during the scandal in an era when freshman couldn't play.

This whole episode shows how much the landscape surrounding college an pro sports has changed and the change has accelerated dramatically post-NIL (not a comment on NIL but on the pace of change).

I think there is a difference between Sorsby and Pete Rose because Rose was in a supervisory position. Rose was betting on his team to win, but during his trial the erratic nature of his player usage (especially his pitching staff) was pointed out which while not a smoking gun indicated something was likely amiss.

I would be curious to know what Sorsby's bets on himself and Cincinnati entailed. Does anyone have more information on that? Was he betting to cover the spread? Was he doing prop bets on his own stats?
Click to expand...
they said it was always to exceed lines (for other players) and to win.

tbh i don't think it matters. trying to analyze intent and explain it away defeats the entire point that it is a clear violation of policy and there is no way for it to not effect how you play (who's to say he doesn't have gameplan info, would force a ball to such and such a player, would change a play in the huddle) and why would it be any better if he has "mental illness" as compared with someone trying to get a family member out of poverty.

This, to me, is pretty black and white. Either you did and violated signed NCAA policy or you didn't. He did and admitted to doing so. The type of bet doesn't matter and trying to logically explain it away just muddies the water.

Should it be fine for players to bet on overs on their team wins for the year? Maybe teams can include this as part of their NIL package that they will put a futures bet in a prediction market for them to win the Natty.
 

50PoundHead said:
I would be curious to know what Sorsby's bets on himself and Cincinnati entailed. Does anyone have more information on that? Was he betting to cover the spread? Was he doing prop bets on his own stats?
Click to expand...
FYI Indiana. He bet on his team while at Indiana, not Cincy.
 


Ski U Mah Gopher said:
A couple of things:

None of the TTU grads on the appeals court will be on the 3 judge panel that will hear the appeal.

Sorsby only has to continue his court-mandated treatment while enrolled at TTU (meaning only fall semester). That part is bogus.

The NFL will probably ban him for his rookie year. That has been the punishment for gambling going back to Karras & Hornung.
Click to expand...
Karras & Hornung bet on their own teams to win. Sorsby bet on his team to underperform. There lies the true crime.
 

upnorthkid said:
From the NCAA (or any sports league), they will always have easy access, but this is 100% why you need harsh punishment for someone who is caught doing so, regardless of circumstances. Players are banned from numerous competitive avenues for "gambling" on the outcome ranging from competitive Esports, ping pong, baseball, and now college sports. Some will decide it's worth it to take the risk, some will not. But if the punishment is a small slap on the wrist and you get to keep making money off the profession, then yes that's a risk that's worth taking.

The what they do about it from a gov't standpoint is going to wade pretty heavily into political waters. Would probably keep that to the OTB as it's going to turn very non-discussional given what past and current administrations have done on a state and national level.

The NCAA angle seems pretty straightforward to me and is part of why I expect if they can't take in court legal action, that teams will ban playing them which they are within right to do without legal recourse, the same as the NCAA could ban them from post season play.
Click to expand...
I am not putting it past the ncaa for rigging games through officiating
 

50PoundHead said:
And let's not forget the blackballing of Connie Hawkins who was implicated in a point-shaving scandal that ironically he could have never been a part of seeing he was a freshman during the scandal in an era when freshman couldn't play.

This whole episode shows how much the landscape surrounding college an pro sports has changed and the change has accelerated dramatically post-NIL (not a comment on NIL but on the pace of change).

I think there is a difference between Sorsby and Pete Rose because Rose was in a supervisory position. Rose was betting on his team to win, but during his trial the erratic nature of his player usage (especially his pitching staff) was pointed out which while not a smoking gun indicated something was likely amiss.

I would be curious to know what Sorsby's bets on himself and Cincinnati entailed. Does anyone have more information on that? Was he betting to cover the spread? Was he doing prop bets on his own stats?
Click to expand...

The erratic use of the bullpen by Rose was absolutely a smoking gun. Also there were games he did not bet at all based on whomever he was penciling in as that day's starting pitcher.
 

Should probably just give Texas Tech the national title and call it a day.

 


howeda7 said:
Should probably just give Texas Tech the national title and call it a day.

Click to expand...
May as well.....I really want to be a fan of college football and college basketball.....I love them and they have always been my favorite sports but damn they are making it hard to enjoy with all of the BS.
 

Thanks to all for cluing me in on the details of the Sorsby affair that had totally escaped my arm's length attention to the matter.
 




You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom