Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is entering a treatment program for a gambling addiction and taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team, the school announced Monday.
ESPN reported that Sorsby, who transferred to join the Red Raiders this offseason from Cincinnati, made thousands of dollars of bets on a variety of sports through a gambling app.
These bets, which reportedly included Indiana football games when he was redshirting there in 2022, are being investigated by the NCAA. Per ESPN, all of the bets were for Indiana to win and he didn’t appear in any game he bet on.
The NCAA issued a statement on the matter.
“Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA will not comment on current, pending or potential investigations,” the statement read. “However, the NCAA takes sports betting very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition. The Association works with integrity monitoring services, state regulators and other stakeholders to conduct appropriate due diligence whenever reports are received.”
NCAA athletes are not allowed to wager on college or pro sports and these bets, if proven through investigation, could impact his eligibility.
“We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help,” Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said in a statement. “Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health.”
Sorsby, ESPN’s No. 1-ranked transfer in this year’s class, threw for 5,613 yards, 45 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over the last two seasons for the Bearcats. He also ran for 1,027 yards and 18 touchdowns in 24 games.
Texas Tech won its first Big 12 championship in history last season and made the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed, losing its quarterfinal matchup vs. No. 5 Oregon 23-0.
–Field Level Media
