By MATT PIKE
The offseason saga of former Cincinatti and Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is continuing as the quarterback will not play in the NFL in 2026 after the league elected to not hold a supplemental draft.
The leagues decision came down to the right within the collective bargaining agreement to hold a draft. League officials stated they felt it would ultimately become a distraction to teams as they begin to start training camp.
"His application carries with it a lot of issues," an NFL source told ESPN today. "Core of the game integrity issues."
Earlier this offseason, Sorsby admitted to betting thousands of times on college and pro sports, bets that totaled upwards of $90,000. Those bets included 40 bets on Indiana football while on the roster at the school. Sorsby's attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, told ESPN today that the NFL's decision to not hold a supplemental draft "is a violation of the CBA and the law. We will pursue this immediately with the NFLPA."
In a letter that was obtained by ESPN, per reporters Pete Thamel and Adam Schefter, the league told Sorsby, "Your Petition -- filed three business days before the deadline, without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctions -- does not provide a basis for the League to alter those plans."
Sorsby had initially been issued a temporary injunction to clear his path to play at Texas Tech Red Raiders this season. But when the Big 12 filed in federal court with aims to punish Sorsby and Texas Tech, Sorsby withdrew his suit and declared for the supplemental draft. The league's letter to Sorsby also said that the "sole reasons" he sought entry in his petition were he'd been declared ineligible.
"The Petition provides no information regarding the basis for, or timing of, the NCAA's decision," the letter states. "Public sources, however, indicate that in May 2026 the NCAA issued a determination declaring you permanently ineligible from participation in college athletics, based on a sustained pattern of improper gambling activity during your collegiate career at three different universities."
The NFL has not held a supplemental draft since 2019. Sorsby would potentially be able to play in the CFL as he is currently ineligible to play under NCAA rules. Sorsby was the No. 1 player in the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, and his admission to gambling and subsequent trip to an in-house treatment facility has been one of the biggest offseason stories.
ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pete Thamel, and NFL Network's Ian Rapaport contributed to this report.