When the announcement came down that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby would be allowed to play football in 2026, there was no absence of shock or indignation. College football analyst Josh Pate even said he thought the notification he got about the news came from a parody account at first glance.
Almost immediately the news cycle filled with stories about schools planning boycotts of Texas Tech in all sports, and of conference brass meeting to determine if a unilateral ban on the Red Raiders was in order. It was at that point we began to hear people (other than Cody Campbell) begin to sympathize with Texas Tech and its beleaguered QB.
Georgia was among the schools which announced a boycott of Texas Tech, and that drew fire from several famous voices, most notably, Colin Cowherd.
"When Georgia goes high moral ground, watch out. That's a football program that should have its own Autobahn. Give me a break.," Cowherd bellowed on The Herd. He continued, "This is a kid that did something idiotic, which is what kids do."
"When Georgia goes high moral ground, watch out. That's a football program that should have its own Autobahn. Give me a break... This is a kid that did something idiotic, which is what kids do."@colincowherd weighs in on Brendan Sorsby being ruled eligible in 2026 pic.twitter.com/swia0IOQF5
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) June 9, 2026
There seems to be a growing sentiment that calling for any action against Texas Tech is "hypocrisy" because of how gambling and money are essentially a free-flowing part of the college football landscape, and all sports, now. While that may be true, there's no parallel to be drawn between that fact and what Sorsby was guilty of doing.
It's absolutely true that payments to players -- both under the table and in our current non-regulated system -- have been going on for decades. It's also true that companies and sites associated with sports betting are firmly embedded in the fabric of college sports with sponsorships, advertising dollars, and even endorsement deals.
But having betting associated with the sport is a far cry from Sorsby's transgression. Not only did he place 2,900 sports wagers totaling over $90,000 across his college career -- including college football -- via his own accounts and accounts of friends and family, he placed 40 bets on the Indiana football games while he was playing there.
I'm going to repeat that because it sounds mildly important.
He bet on his team's games while he was a player on the team.
Was he on the field for those games? No. But he was a backup quarterback and could have very easily had a huge influence on the outcome of a game or the point spread. He could have even involved teammates to make sure his wagers were successful.
That is the big difference, and that is precisely why Sorsby has no business on a college football field ever again. Not in 2026 and not after that. It's one of the most basic tenets you are given when you step foot on a college campus as an athlete. Don't bet on the games. Period.
The perceived Texas Tech boycott hypocrisy is just enablers making excuses
There's no hypocrisy for any school or school administrator to take a stand against a program who refuses to support that rule, and why some (like Cowherd) simply want to excuse this as "something idiotic that kids do" is dumbfounding.
Getting arrested for speeding is something idiotic that kids do. Being caught smoking weed is something idiotic that kids do. Getting into a bar fight is something idiotic that kids do.
Betting on your own team is something that shakes the foundation of integrity in the game, and could be (should be) catastrophic for an entire program. It's not just kids being kids, it's a kid believing he's beyond the rules and is impervious to reprisals.
The most infuriating part is that, with this injunction by a Lubbock judge, the NCAA is the only governing body of any sport that does not have the power to remove eligibility of a player for betting on his/her own team.
Well all knew the NCAA was toothless, but it would seem now that they are neutered as well.
And while the NCAA is planning on returning fire to the Lubbock judicial system, the damage has already been done. Any player who feared for his career if he was caught betting on games, even on his own team, is now thinking the proverbial slap-on-the-wrist is worth the risk of a nice Saturday parlay.
Statement from Texas Tech AD, firing back at critics and making clear Tech plans to play Sorsby this season. https://t.co/ShsO7tbRDg
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 10, 2026
There's your hypocrisy.
Make no mistake. Georgia, Nebraska and any other school who lines up to take a stand against Texas Tech opting for the spineless way out is not hypocrisy. The hypocrisy squarely lands in Lubbock, with AD Kirby Hocutt, Judge Ken Curry, President Lawrence Schovanec, and head coach Joey McGuire.
Those men could have shown integrity by not even entertaining the idea of allowing Sorsby to play. To show that some rules simply can't even be bent, less yet broken, for obvious reasons. Instead, they chose self-preservation.
Their hypocrisy knows no bounds, and the entire sport will now suffer because of their short-sightedness.
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