Texas Attorney General Sends Legal Warning to Big 12 Over “Unlawful” Brendan Sorsby Boycott

Following the Lubbock County, Texas, court ruling, where Brendan Sorsby is permitted to play for the Red Raiders next season despite the betting controversy, a lot of debate has been ongoing in college football. Texas Tech has shown its full support to the QB, shutting down all criticism, but the Big 12 Conference leaders and several teams are considering boycotts and conference discipline against the program.

However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a formal letter, warning the Big 12 conference that any attempt to sanction Texas Tech over its support of Sorsby will be met with immediate legal action, as reported by Justin Williams on June 11, 2026.

“We are aware that the Big 12 is considering invoking Bylaw 3.6 of the Big 12’s Bylaws to sanction Texas Tech for respecting the Order and continuing its support of Mr. Sorsby as a student-athlete. This letter serves to notify the Big 12 that any such action would be unlawful and would expose the Conference to substantial liability,” read the formal letter sent by Paxton, obtained by The Athletic.

“Any sanction against Texas Tech for acting consistent with the Order would be a per se violation of federal and state antitrust laws, a naked horizontal agreement among competitors to disadvantage Texas Tech by cutting off access to the resources it needs to compete.”

While the State of Texas is ready to shield Texas Tech’s athletic department from retribution, the rival programs and the Big 12 argue that allowing Brendan Sorsby to play will destroy the competitive integrity following his admission of placing over 9,000 impermissible bets.

Georgia AD Josh Brooks stated that programs “cannot in good conscience” put their own players on a field where the fairness of the competition is compromised. Then Kansas State AD Gene Taylor went further, questioning what sports integrity even means if a player is allowed to play after betting on their own team.

After all the criticism from analysts and rival programs, Texas Tech’s AD also made a statement.

“I’ve heard the word ‘integrity’ used a great deal in the last 48 hours. As someone who has dedicated his career to college sports, I, too, believe integrity is central to our industry’s success,” wrote Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt, releasing a defiant official statement. “I also think integrity applies on more than one front. The integrity of sport matters. So does the integrity of how we treat a 22-year-old who sought help, entered residential treatment, and is working every day toward recovery. Those two things don’t have to be in conflict.”

Brendan Sorsby placed 40 bets on Indiana in 2022, when he was a redshirt freshman. After investigations, the NCAA decided to make him permanently ineligible. However, the Texas court granted a temporary injunction with a self-proposed two-game suspension, overriding the organization and ruling that Sorsby would suffer “imminent and irreparable injury.”

The QB’s legal team argued that the NCAA weaponized Sorsby’s medically diagnosed gambling addiction following his 35-day inpatient rehab program. But allowing the QB following his gambling scandal only shows how broken the system is, with a weakened control of the NCAA being the main concern. And if Texas Tech faces no repercussions, it creates a blueprint for the future, believe the conference leaders. Even ESPN’s Chris Fowler also worried about CFB’s future after Brendan Sorsby’s court ruling.

Football Brendan Sorsby’s injunction raises questions

Under the NCAA’s strict sports-wager rule, betting on one’s own team led to a permanent ban in college. But in Brendan Sorsby’s case, a state court’s rule erased it, revealing the chaotic landscape of college athletics, where the NCAA is unable to enforce its own rule without a court appeal. While that situation sparked national outrage, U.S. Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, isn’t ready to buy the court decision.

“The judicial decision was mind-blowing. It’s hard to find something that illustrates more powerfully how broken the system is,” said Cruz, as reported by Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger on June 10.

The major concern for which Sorsby faces heat, his win against the NCAA, signals that there is no rule in college athletics.

“College football is so rife with upsets,” said ESPN’s Chris Fowler on The Rich Eisen Show. “… Gambling is a pretty serious thing; you should be taken really seriously by anybody who’s in charge.”

The NCAA appealed the injunction decision. However, a permanent resolution is expected to take some time due to the complex nature of the situation. A court date for the full case of Sorsby vs NCAA is scheduled for February 8, 2027. Sorsby, on the other hand, only has a temporary injunction and is not yet completely free. The NCAA will try to battle to the very end as it would not want this to be the precedent if an incident like this happens in the future.