Could Big 12 teams refuse to play Texas Tech over Sorsby injunction?

SALT LAKE CITY — Long the butt of college sports' fans jokes, there was mostly unanimity Monday when a Texas judge granted Brendan Sorsby's temporary injunction to clear the way for the Texas Tech quarterback final season of eligibility.

The ruling by Judge Ken Curry of Texas' 99th District could set a precedent that is unlike anything not only see in college sports, but in all of athletics.

Say what you will about the (misnomered) definition of amateurism and what name, image and likeness has done to an industry that long relied on the unpaid labor of its workforce. But among the few things that NCAA officials, administrators and coaches could agree with their professional counterparts in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS was gambling.

If you wager on your own team, you can bet on being thrown out. Such was the case for Jontay Porter and the Toronto Raptors, Pete Rose and the Cincinnati Reds, and the eight members of the Chicago White Sox infamously dubbed the "Black Sox" even after a 1921 trial acquitted them of wrongdoing.

But one three-page injunction from a Lubbock County court has potentially set the wrong kind of history. Want to bet on your own games? Take a two-game suspension.

NCAA officials filed an "accelerated appeal" of the decision to Texas' Seventh District court of appeals Monday afternoon. But Big 12 coaches and athletic directors are already speaking out against the decision, both on and off the record. It doesn't matter that NCAA rules prohibit its own athletes from wagering on most sports, and athletes who bet on their own schools have faced permanent bans.

Even in a sport where the rulebook has constantly been rewritten by the court of law, gambling remained off limits. For its many sponsorships, the NCAA does not take money from sportsbooks or other gambling companies.

"It's (expletive) bull (expletive)," Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor told Yahoo Sports. "I know the kid has a problem. Well, get well and focus on your problem. It is absolutely devastating for him to be able to play when every other sport, no matter the level, deems an athlete ineligible or they are punished severely for betting on their team."

Will other Big 12, college football programs take action against Texas Tech?

Taylor acknowledged to Yahoo's Ross Dellenger that Big 12 presidents and athletic directors have had "some serious conversations" about not playing the Red Raiders.

They aren't alone.

"I think there needs to be serious conversations about not playing Texas Tech in any sports," Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks told Yahoo. "This is not about Texas Tech. It's about protecting our own locker room. We cannot in good conscience put our student-athletes on a field where the competitive integrity of the contest is compromised and overridden by the courts. If a state court wants to dictate eligibility rules, they can play themselves.

"All FBS schools should only take the field against programs operating under a uniform, trustworthy standard of fairness. We've officially reached the point of no return."

BYU and Utah are not scheduled to play Sorsby and Texas Tech in the regular season. Utah athletic director Mark Harlan roundly criticized the decision Monday afternoon in a statement of his own.

Others have already floated the idea of forcing punishment on Texas Tech, the school that reportedly offered Sorsby seven figures to transfer to Lubbock after throwing for 7,208 yards and 60 touchdowns in four seasons at Indiana and Cincinnati.

Sorsby acknowledged his struggle with gambling when he checked into a rehab center, using the word "addiction" to describe his own series of missteps that included at least 2,900 bets of more than $30,000 during two years with the Hoosiers and at least 165 bets of at least $38,000 as the Bearcats' starting quarterbacks, according to ESPN.

Big 12 commissioner responds

Whether his own conference members opt to ban Texas Tech football — either officially or unofficially, which would likely take forfeits and fines — is yet to be seen. But Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark indicated action could be taken from his league, depending on the final outcome of the situation.

"The ramifications of today's ruling are significant and could have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership," Yormark said in a statement. "I've been consulting with our key stakeholders and have scheduled a meeting with our Conference ADs and our Executive Board this week.

"We are also in touch with Charlie Baker and anticipate the NCAA to appeal the order in the next 24-48 hours," he added. "We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation."

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