Texas Tech has made its position unmistakably clear: any conference sanction or scheduling boycott stemming from the Brendan Sorsby eligibility saga will land everyone involved in a courtroom. The Red Raiders representatives have told Big 12 officials the university is “100%” prepared to litigate if the league disciplines the program, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, while Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported on Wednesday that the school is consulting renowned antitrust attorney Jeffrey Kessler — the same lawyer leading Sorsby’s case against the NCAA — about options that include a second injunction.
“If you want to go to battle with Texas Tech, get ready: We’re going to battle,” a person familiar with the situation told Dellenger.
The firestorm began Monday when a Lubbock County district judge granted Sorsby a temporary injunction overturning the NCAA’s permanent eligibility ban. The quarterback had admitted to placing thousands of wagers over four years, including bets on his own Indiana team while redshirting there — conduct that triggers a lifetime ban under NCAA rules. The court determined Sorsby would suffer “probable, imminent and irreparable injury” without access to elite training ahead of a possible NFL Supplemental Draft entry, which carries a June 22 deadline. He must sit out the first two games against Abilene Christian and Oregon State but can return for the Big 12 opener versus Houston on Sept. 18.
The reaction was swift. Kansas State AD Gene Taylor labeled the ruling “f***ing bulls***” and acknowledged Big 12 administrators had discussed boycotting Texas Tech. Memos obtained by The Athletic show Georgia and Nebraska have instructed coaches not to schedule the Red Raiders in any sport, and the Big Ten is weighing a conference-wide moratorium, with a meeting set for Thursday. Utah’s Mark Harlan said he was “disheartened,” Colorado’s Fernando Lovo found the decision “troubling,” and UCF’s Terry Mohajir said he would never play an athlete who bet on games.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told athletic directors Tuesday the league is reviewing legal options. Under Section 3 of conference bylaws, 12 of 15 “disinterested” presidents could sanction Texas Tech for conduct “materially adverse to the best interests of the conference” — penalties potentially including championship game ineligibility, forfeits, postseason or television bans, revenue restrictions, and scholarship limits. Yormark meets this week with his executive committee from Kansas, Kansas State and BYU, with a full board gathering expected next week.
Board of Regents chair and megabooster Cody Campbell warned Wednesday that the Red Raiders may sue individual schools for “colluding” to freeze out Texas Tech. AD Kirby Hocutt, meanwhile, issued a seven-paragraph statement stressing the university neither filed nor funded Sorsby’s lawsuit.
With Sorsby signed to a one-year, multi-million dollar deal and the NCAA expected to appeal next week, the standoff between the Red Raiders and the rest of college athletics may only be beginning.
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