By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Maybe this isn’t the best way to say it under the circumstances, but the odds of quarterback Brendan Sorsby playing for Texas Tech this fall are shrinking with each passing day.

The odds will soon become slim to none, as resistance to Sorsby playing will keep growing over the summer, and then finally this madness, which was caused by one judge in Texas, will be put to rest.

At least, that’s how this whacky controversy should play out.

Ever since a judge granted Sorsby a temporary injunction that would allow Sorsby to play in all but two games in the 2026 season, the reaction has been swift, severe and nearly unanimous as multiple college administrators have voiced their disgust with the ruling, which came despite Sorsby having admitted to making thousands of bets on sports — including 40 on his own team.

Sorsby sued the NCAA on May 18, seeking an injunction that would prevent the NCAA from banning him. Sorsby acknowledged he had wagered at least $90,000 on pro and college sports over the past four years, including 40 bets on Indiana football while he was a freshman with the Hoosiers in 2022.

His lawyer argued that Sorsby’s gambling history was a mental health and addiction issue and that the NCAA was obligated to consider his well-being and support him rather than punish him.

And shockingly, a judge in district court in Lubbock County Texas agreed with this madness and double standard, setting a horrific precedent.

Multiple conferences, including the Big Ten, are now fighting back and threatening to prohibit their teams from scheduling future contests against Texas Tech.

The Big Ten is reportedly discussing a league-wide ban on scheduling Texas Tech in all sports.

And while you might wonder how much negative publicity Sorsby would be willing to take, he reportedly has secured one of the most lucrative NIL packages ever with Texas Tech, valued somewhere between $4 million and $6 million.

You would assume that Sorsby would only get paid in full if he were to play this season.

Sorsby transferred from Cincinnati where he threw for over 2,800 yards in each of the past two season season while combining to start 24 games.

In the old days, which means before NIL and the transfer portal, Sorsby would almost certainly be pursuing a career in the NFL at this stage since he projects as an NFL quarterback.

But the rush to earn NFL riches doesn’t have the same appeal and pull as it used to, because for some standout college players, there is more guaranteed money to be made in college as crazy as that seems.

So Sorsby has a lot to lose if he doesn’t play this fall, but even more to lose if he were to play because the resistance and the criticism would only get worse.

Sorsby would be a marked man, the most hated player in college sports; a target for ridicule and harassment on social media, while Texas Tech would be the program that everybody hates, a pariah.

The fact that a judge would grant Sorsby an injunction is a slap in the face of all the student-athletes whose careers were cut short by gambling offenses.

Former Iowa defensive lineman Noah Shannon admitted to placing one bet on the Iowa women’s basketball team during their 2023 NCAA Tournament run.

The NCAA showed him no mercy by ruling Shannon ineligible for his senior season.

Iowa filed an appeal, but it was ultimately denied.

Shannon was allowed to practice, but that was the closest he came to ever playing for the Hawkeyes again.

Shannon’s case was part of a sweeping and highly controversial 2023 gambling investigation that focused on student-athletes from Iowa and Iowa State. Dozens of athletes from both schools were implicated in the investigation and the fallout was harsh as some of the cases led to criminal charges and multiple suspensions for violating NCAA rules.

Shannon still is affiliated with Hawkeye football as he now works as assistant director of player development.

However, the way his case was handled still doesn’t sit well with Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.

Sorsby’s situation has apparently just added to Ferentz’s anger and frustration based on what Ferentz said recently to The Athletic.

“I see Noah every day, and believe me, you think he’s not watching this and trying to figure out, ‘what the hell happened to me?'” Ferentz said.

Shannon’s case is one of many in which a student-athlete was severely punished for gambling on sports, which is strictly prohibited by the NCAA, and rightfully so.

Careers were ruined in multiple sports for gambling offenses that pale in comparison to what Sorsby has admitted to.

The NCAA has appealed the judge’s ruling, but hopefully, it won’t have to come down to that.

The NCAA, oddly enough, isn’t to blame in this case.

As the backlash continues to intensify, maybe at some point Sorsby will decide that it isn’t worth playing next season despite it being worth a lot to him financially.

That seems the most logical way for this controversy to end.

Of course, you hope that Sorsby overcomes his gambling addiction, but he shouldn’t be allowed to use it to avoid punishment, and to play when so many others weren’t given the same opportunity.