A Texas court delivered a bombshell decision on college football Monday, ruling that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby can play in the upcoming season even though he once placed bets on his own team. The NCAA says the decision "undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports" and is asking for a fast appeal, reports USA Today.
- Sorsby is a fifth-year star QB who has gone to rehab for his gambling problem. As a freshman with Indiana, he placed bets on his own team, though always to win. The 22-year-old has admitted placing thousands of bets overall during his college career.
- "To call it seismic is an undersell," writes Chris Branch of the court's decision at the Athletic. This "is not merely an employment/eligibility case; Sorsby, by his own admission, committed what most thought before yesterday was an unforgivable offense by betting on his own team."
- In a sign of just how controversial the ruling is, other Big 12 football teams are talking about refusing to play Texas Tech, reports Yahoo Sports. In fact, "I think there needs to be serious conversations about not playing Texas Tech in any sports," says Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks, a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee. Big Ten officials are considering a similar move, reports ESPN.
- Mike Florio of NBC Sports predicts a Big 12 boycott would be too much of a mess given ticket refunds and TV rights. "Our guess is that other Big 12 teams may huff and puff, but they won't blow Texas Tech's house down," he writes. "Because they'd possibly be blowing their own house down, too." But he also suggests the pushback against the ruling—and it is strong and wide-reaching—could affect the appeal. "These calls are discretionary," he writes, "and the four page ruling is very light on analysis and reasoning."
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