Share 
Gaming Edge’s TL;DR
- A Texas judge’s decision to keep Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby eligible after admitted NCAA gambling violations is now being used to support a bipartisan federal college sports bill.
- Supporters of a Senate proposal led by Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell are pointing to the ruling as evidence that college sports needs a stronger national framework, especially around integrity and gambling-related eligibility.
Earlier this month, a Lubbock judge ruled that quarterback Brendan Sorsby could remain eligible to play this fall for Texas Tech. Sorsby admitted to violating NCAA gambling rules by making thousands of bets, including some on his own team while he played at Indiana.
While the story has moved on, with Sorsby dropping a lawsuit against the NCAA and seeking entry into the NFL via a supplemental draft, the ruling has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over who should set the rules in college athletics.
NCAA President Charlie Baker called it a “thunderbolt moment,” while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) described the decision as “mind-blowing.” Reporter Ross Dellenger said the case has become “the latest seminal sort of moment in college athletics,” noting that some administrators at other schools discussed boycotting games against Texas Tech if Sorsby had been allowed to play.
The dispute is now feeding momentum for a bipartisan Senate bill that would overhaul parts of college sports governance. Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, is sponsoring the legislation with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington).
President Donald Trump has also publicly said he supports the bill.
Bill aims to protect sports integrity
The proposed bill includes language allowing the NCAA to restrict a student athlete’s eligibility if that athlete has illegally wagered on sports. Dellenger highlighted that provision directly:
“There is a line in the bill that allows the NCAA to restrict a student athlete’s eligibility if that student athlete has illegally wagered on sports.”
Cruz has framed the issue in stark terms.
“If we get to the point that we wonder, you know, is every wide receiver who drops a catch making some money on that? Is every pitcher who puts the ball in the dirt betting on the side? That is a messed up system.”
He also said the bill is meant to “protect the integrity and to be able to enforce prohibitions on gambling.”
Middle Tennessee State football coach Derek Mason also pointed to the need for “strong governance” and raised concern about whether gambling in and around college athletics could “become an epidemic.”
Based on reporting by Reena Diamante for Spectrum News.
