Brendan Sorsby says he bet on Indiana football to feel more 'connected' to team

Gambling addiction isn't funny, and the tale of Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby will ultimately be a cautionary one. But some things are so outlandish you just have to smirk.

Sorsby, who was on Indiana's 2022 roster, said in an injunction filed against the NCAA on May 18 to expedite his reinstatement for the 2026 season that he bet on Indiana football in 2022 to feel more "connected" to the program.

"I rationalized placing those bets as a way to feel more connected to the team, to root for my friends, and to feel like I had a real 'stake' in the games that I otherwise was not involved in," Sorsby said in the affidavit.

Sorsby did say he lost most of his bets, due to 2022 Indiana not being a "strong competitor," and all of the bets were in favor of Hoosiers sports. He also clarified he did not place bets when he was part of the dressed team, only doing so as a scout team member without knowledge of the team's gameplan, per the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

“... I began placing small bets on the Indiana football team, typically in amounts between $5 and $50,” he wrote. “All of these bets were in support of Indiana. In other words, I placed bets on Indiana to win a game or score more than a certain number of points or for the quarterback to throw for more than a certain number of touchdowns or yards.”

While at first blush it's obviously inconceivable for a member of Indiana football to need to feel more connected to the program, and it ultimately is a ridiculous premise, it is in-line with modern gambling ads are selling. During broadcasts, including college football broadcasts, the promise is for fans to feel like they're a part of every snap, every home run, and every basket. Even so, Sorsby's bets ranged far beyond Indiana athletics, and college athletes are expressly prohibited from betting on games.

Sorsby, who has a now-diagnosed gambling addiction and entered a residential treatment program after stepping away from Texas Tech on April 27, is coming off a season-high 27 touchdowns with Cincinnati in 2025. His future in the sport remains clouded.

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