The Brendan Sorsby saga finally came to an official end on Tuesday, as the star quarterback will not be eligible to play college football or in the NFL in 2026. After parting ways with Texas Tech, Sorsby planned to enter the NFL through the supplemental draft.
However, on Tuesday, the NFL essentially told Sorsby to kick rocks. The league has decided to not hold a supplemental draft this summer, as is their right, leaving the former Cincinnati quarterback with no avenue to join the NFL this season.
Sorsby will likely fight this decision, and his attorney said after the decision that they will go through the NFLPA to attempt to find a way into the league. However, it feels like a long shot that this decision changes, which means Sorsby won't be on an NCAA or NFL field this fall.
Of course, this seems like a harsh punishment for Sorsby, and maybe it is. But is it the right one? Let's get into his unique situation and the reasons why the NFL would be planting its flag here.
Allowing Sorsby into the NFL would give college athletes a loophole
To put a long story short, Sorsby was bolting to the NFL to avoid punishment from the NCAA. The star signal-caller was found to have gambled on college football games, including Indiana football games while he was a redshirt with the Hoosiers back in 2022. This obviously is a major no-go and sets a terrible precedent in college football if he was allowed to play.
As such, the NCAA tried to rule him ineligible, but Sorsby received a temporary injunction against the NCAA from a judge that would have allowed him to play this fall. After days of terrible press an criticism from all over the college football world, directed at both Sorsby and Texas Tech, the two sides agreed to part ways and the Cincinnati transfer turned his attention towards the supplemental draft.
Simply put, it's clear that Sorsby is only entering the supplemental draft to avoid the punishment that was likely coming from the NCAA. If he wanted to go to the NFL after last season, he could have, and he was slated to be a potential first-round pick if he came out and had a solid showing in the pre-draft process.
If the NFL were to hold the supplemental draft, it would set a poor precedent for other players who lose their eligibility for disciplinary reasons like Sorsby did, especially in a fashion that puts the integrity of the game of football in question. By taking this stand and not letting him enter the NFL until the 2027 draft, the league is putting its foot down against using the supplemental draft as an outlet or a backup plan for escaping the wrath of the NCAA.
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This is the NFL's way of punishing Sorsby for gambling on football
One of the major talking points around Sorsby leading into the supplemental draft, or the decision to not hold it, was whether the NFL was going to punish him for a violation that broke the NCAA's rules. Would the league even be able to punish him, considering that he was not an employee of the NFL when the violations were committed?
Back in 2011, former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was forced into the supplemental draft when his NCAA eligibility was taken away after he sold memorabilia for money. Pryor was allowed into the NFL through the supplemental draft, but he was still suspended for five games.
While the NFL could have taken a similar path with Sorsby, they clearly wanted to set a harsher precedent with a situation like this one. Of course, Pryor selling his Ohio State memorabilia for money was a violation of NCAA rules, but it has no bearing on the NFL.
On the other hand, Sorsby gambling on football games, especially games that his team was playing in, is a violation of the rules in any sport and is a major red flag. While the issue appears to be behind him after going to rehab for his gambling addiction, the NFL is sending a clear message that they aren't having any of that. Instead of suspending him for a set number of games, they are keeping him out for the entire season with this decision.
Sorsby is still eligible to play in another professional league this fall, such as the CFL. Whether he pursues an option like that remains to be seen. Either way, he will be eligible to enter a 2027 NFL Draft that is loaded with top quarterbacks and will be one of the most interesting draft prospects to come out in recent memory.
The Brendan Sorsby saga finally came to an official end on Tuesday, as the star quarterback will not be eligible to play college football or in the NFL in 2026. After parting ways with Texas Tech, Sorsby planned to enter the NFL through the supplemental draft. However, on Tuesday, the NFL essentially told Sorsby to kick rocks.