Big 12 doesn’t back off Sorsby ruling despite Pax­ton threat

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Brendan Sorsby is known for being a dual-threat college quarterback at Texas Tech and a gambling addict.

And even after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made a threat of his own, the Big 12 has decided to roll the dice and press forward with litigation.

Sorsby’s gambling habits came to light earlier this year, creating a scandal where it was discovered he placed tens of thousands of dollars in online bets, including wagers on the Indiana Hoosiers while he was on the roster.

Wanting to play in 2026, Sorsby sued the NCAA, arguing that his actions stemmed from a gambling addiction.

The lawsuit argues the NCAA’s position is deeply hypocritical for imposing gambling restrictions on student-athletes while fostering a gambling ecosystem.

On June 8, a Texas court issued a temporary injunction enjoining the NCAA from prohibiting Sorsby from playing with Texas Tech during the 2026 football season, following a two game suspension.

Paxton says he was informed the Big 12 and schools within the conference were considering sanctioning Texas Tech for honoring the order.

On June 11, Paxton’s office sent a letter to the Big 12, notifying them that any effort to sanction the university would constitute a violation of federal and state law and expose the conference and its members to antitrust liability.

In the letter, the OAG made it clear that any such sanction would constitute a horizontal agreement among competitors to disadvantage Texas Tech, and that the conference and its member schools would face exposure to treble damages, including for Texas Tech's lost football revenues, harm to alumni contributions, and damage to recruiting, in addition to attorneys' fees, which could exceed $200 million.

“Texas Tech acted consistent with a lawful court order and no athletic conference has the right to punish a member institution for respecting the judicial process,” said Paxton. “Antitrust laws exist to prevent exactly this type of illegal coordinated effort to harm a competitor.”

On June 15, the Big 12 responded by suing the university and AG, requesting declaratory judgment that the conference has the authority to use its bylaws to punish Sorsby.

The suit seeks to stop Texas Tech from deterring the Big 12 from “exercising its rights under its Bylaws to sanction TTU related to its handling of the sports betting activity … including if TTU fields a student-athlete in Big 12 competitions who has engaged in collegiate sports betting activity.”