Even the Canadians don’t like Brendan Sorsby.
The Canadian Football League will not permit the former Texas Tech, Cincinnati and Indiana quarterback from participating in the upcoming season, Adam Schefter is reporting, following the end of his long legal battle with the Big 12 and NCAA.
In short, Sorsby admitted to placing thousands of bets, including those on his own team, while playing at Indiana and pursued treatment earlier this offseason in hopes of retaining his eligibility for the 2026 season with Texas Tech. Sorsby signed a deal reportedly worth upwards of $5 million to play for the Red Raiders this season.
Though a Texas judge briefly ruled Sorsby eligible, the Big 12 stepped up to the plate and filed its own lawsuit against Texas Tech, which saw the quarterback and university mutually part ways. Sorsby subsequently dropped his pending lawsuit against the NCAA to pursue a pro career through the NFL supplemental draft, an alternate avenue for players who missed the spring draft deadline, which the league has since declined to host.
But now Sorsby will have to look beyond a career in the CFL, too. The league issued the following statement to USA Today:
“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL. The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning. At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him, and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list.”
With the big N-O from both the NFL and CFL, Sorsby may opt for a year of junior college ball if he so chooses.
The National Junior College Athletic Association operates independently from the NCAA, and it’s hard to think somebody wouldn’t want their hands on a Second Team All-Big 12 quarterback. Wherever you stand on the gambling, it’s an opportunity for Sorsby to reel himself out of the national spotlight for a bit and concentrate on his prospects to play professional football in 2027.
That’s about the only option for the Texas native, and it’s not a bad one considering he’ll get an extra season to train, prepare and play low-risk football in an environment that may actually help mend those gambling-like distractions. At just 22 years old, he’ll have plenty of runway to make a case for himself in next year’s NFL Draft, assuming he takes the right steps now.
