The NFL can breathe a collective sigh of relief as it will avoid potentially problematic gambling headlines this season with embattled quarterback Brendan Sorsby accepting his 2026 fate.
Sorsby and the NFL Players Association are not pursuing a lawsuit against the NFL after the league decided not to hold a supplemental draft for Sorsby this year, ESPN reported Tuesday. The Texas Tech transfer quarterback has made headlines since late April after he announced he entered a problem gambling program for sports betting, including bets he placed on a former team.
Sorsby has struck out in nearly all of his attempts to play football this upcoming season. He was deemed ineligible by the NCAA, and although he successfully won a temporary injunction from a court local to Texas Tech, the school made it clear they would not play him even with the legal win.
That is when Sorsby moved his attention to professional football and his NFL supplemental draft plans, but that plan was also shut down, with the Canadian Football League saying no days later as well. The NFL cited integrity issues, a lack of accountability and a lack of basis to hold a supplemental draft for Sorsby.
Sorsby takes responsibility in statement
All 32 NFL teams received a memo with the news of Sorsby backing off any legal challenges on Tuesday. Sorsby also made a statement that said his recovery journey remains on track despite not playing in the NFL this season.
“I accept 100% responsibility for my actions,” Sorsby said in a statement shared by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. “I did not have control of my gambling problem and it took getting caught for me to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Because of this, I have been able get the help I need and fully focus on my recovery.
“The news about the supplemental draft changes nothing about my recovery journey – I will continue to take it one day at a time. Focusing on making myself better throughout this process and making sure to share what I have learned and will continue to learn with others going forward. I am fully committed to being the best version of myself that I can be while getting ready for the 2027 draft. God makes no mistakes and I look forward to seeing the good that is to come from this.”
Sorsby will be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft and will not be allowed to sign a contract until after the draft.
NFL steers clear of gambling controversy
Sorsby’s acceptance of a lack of legal standing helped the NFL avoid discussions about integrity concerns over a player that has admitted to betting on his own team entering the locker room for another year.
Rapaport also noted that the accountability for past gambling might not be over just because Sorsby makes it to the NFL. The league will not discipline Sorsby for what is known but can conduct its own investigation for anything beyond the public record. It can also take misconduct in college into account for discipline for any future violations.
This issue ending as quietly as possible is the best case scenario for the NFL, which is without a sports betting partner for the first time since 2021 and is in negotiations with DraftKings and FanDuel, Sports Business Journal reported in April.
