The Big 12 Conference filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Tech on Monday. The conference wants to sanction the Red Raiders if they play quarterback Brendan Sorsby in 2026.
The legal action comes after a Texas state court granted Sorsby a temporary injunction last week. That ruling prevents the NCAA from declaring him ineligible despite his admitted gambling violations.
Big 12 Files Federal Complaint
The Big 12 submitted a 47-page complaint in the Northern District of Texas in Dallas, according to Yahoo Sports. The lawsuit targets Texas Tech, the Texas attorney general, the system’s chancellor, the school president and athletic director.
The conference wants a federal court to issue a declaratory judgment and preliminary injunction. This would allow the Big 12 to enforce its bylaws without interference from Texas Tech or the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton.
The complaint doesn’t seek monetary damages. It also doesn’t challenge the state court ruling that made Sorsby eligible for 2026.
Instead, the Big 12 wants to clear the path for sanctioning Texas Tech over potentially playing Sorsby.
The lawsuit responds to legal threats from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, per Yahoo Sports. Paxton demanded the conference stop exercising its governance authority and characterized any sanctions as antitrust violations.
“To be sure, given the result in the NCAA injunctive relief case, TTU can choose whether or not to compete with Sorsby. And TTU can pay him consistent with the law. But the freedom to do so is by no means a freedom from consequences. It is well within the right of the Big 12 to discern and implement an appropriate sanction in response to TTU’s decision to compete with a student-athlete who has extensively, unethically, and unlawfully bet on college football.”
The filing was obtained by The Athletic.
Conference Cites Integrity Concerns
The Big 12 argues that allowing Sorsby to play would bring “reputational harm and irreparable damage to public and member trust in the integrity of league competitions,” according to Yahoo Sports.
“The threat that gambling poses to the integrity of athletic competition has been understood — and has been borne out by scandal — for over a century. That history informs the Conference’s values and governance practices and explains why these values are non-negotiable.”
Conference officials, university presidents and athletic directors have already requested that Texas Tech not play Sorsby in 2026. The Red Raiders haven’t agreed to that request.
The Big 12 is considering monetary sanctions and a potential ban from the Big 12 Championship Game if Texas Tech plays Sorsby, according to Yahoo Sports.
Sorsby’s Gambling Violations
Sorsby acknowledged making at least $90,000 from thousands of betting violations during his college career, per Yahoo Sports. The violations occurred while he was at Indiana as a freshman and later at Cincinnati.
After enrolling at Texas Tech, Sorsby admitted to sending about $5,000 to another person to place bets on his behalf.
He’s enrolled in treatment for addiction and anxiety.
A Texas state court judge ruled last week that the NCAA couldn’t enforce its permanent ban against Sorsby. The decision sparked outrage from Big 12 members, with some threatening not to schedule Texas Tech in the future.
The controversy has dominated college football’s offseason as another legal battle within the sport.
Texas Tech now faces a choice between playing their quarterback and potentially facing conference sanctions that could impact their ability to compete for championships.
