Brendan Sorsby trampled NCAA gambling rules. He can't play college football again | Opinion

• Brendan Sorsby admits it. He bet on college football. The penalty should be obvious: a ban from college football.
• Sorsby is asking a Texas judge to allow him to play for Texas Tech, despite the QB trampling NCAA's betting rules.
• If Sorsby isn't allowed to play college football, he could still continue career in NFL.

Brendan Sorsby admits it. He bet on sports. Repeatedly. He violated NCAA gambling rules.

Not only did he bet on sports, he bet on college football. Repeatedly.

He never bet against his team, according to Sorsby’s lawsuit against the NCAA, but he did bet on games involving a team for which he played.

In sum, he placed thousands of bets NCAA rules prohibit, and he continued to bet after transferring to Texas Tech from Cincinnati in January. The NCAA appropriately ruled him ineligible.

Now, Sorsby is asking a judge to grant him an injunction that would allow him to play quarterback for Texas Tech this season, despite trampling on the NCAA’s black-and-white rules on sports betting.

This one should be easy for the judge: Deny Sorsby’s request, and wish him well in his recovery and his future endeavors, which may include the NFL.

Folks, this is an open-and-shut case.

The penalty should be obvious and swift: a ban from college football.

Sorsby acknowledges he did the very thing the NCAA tells its athletes they cannot do. He described his sports betting as “a daily habit” he “could not control.”

His legal team argues because Sorsby developed a gambling addiction and he was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, he should be allowed to play college football, despite betting on college football.

That’s a weak argument.

Multiple things can be true:

1. Sorsby became a gambling addict and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
2. Sorsby cannot be allowed to play college football, after repeatedly gambling on college football.

If a judge allows Sorsby to play this season, it’s a message to college athletes everywhere the NCAA’s gambling rules are merely a suggestion, not a prohibition, and it’s OK to become a sports gambling fiend while playing college sports, so long as you prove you have an addiction or a mental health condition.

That’s absurd logic. No sports league can function with integrity if we can’t trust its athletes aren’t betting on the games.

“The high volume of Brendan's gambling was a direct result of his mental health disorder: an anxiety condition that manifested in compulsive gambling,” one of Sorsby’s lawyers wrote in a filing obtained by ESPN.

That’s an explanation. It’s not a free pass.

Sorsby knew what he was doing was wrong. He used friends and family as proxies for some bets, in an apparent attempt to avoid detection.

The NCAA started investigating Sorsby after getting tipped off by a sportsbook. After coming under investigation, Sorsby entered a rehab program. It’s fair to wonder whether Sorsby would still be betting on sports if he hadn’t gotten caught.

I don’t mean to be callous.

Gambling addiction is real, and nobody disputes Sorsby suffered from it. But, the NCAA’s rules on this subject are clear, and they lay the groundwork for stiff punishment (including loss of eligibility) if an athletes places bets involving their own team.

Fortunately for Sorsby, his addiction came to light before he went pro, and he sought help. That timing is a blessing. If his gambling habit had gone undetected until he reached the NFL, this could’ve continued down a path that ended in him being banned from the pros.

His college addiction undoubtedly will be a caution flag to some NFL teams, but at least he’s allowed to pursue a pro career and prove he’s serious about his recovery.

The judge in Sorsby’s case against the NCAA says he’ll issue a ruling within a week.

How long can it take to write, “Mr. Sorsby, best wishes on your gambling addiction recovery, and good luck in the NFL. Injunction denied.”

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.