Brendan Sorsby’s NCAA eligibility has spanned state and federal courts, and though the former Texas Tech quarterback hopes to join the NFL, comments made by his agent, Ron Slavin, show how his college career will remain a source of litigation.
Slavin told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Wednesday that officials from the University of Cincinnati—where Sorsby played in 2024 and 2025—“knew” about Sorsby’s gambling addiction “and never said anything or didn’t do anything about it.”
The accusation might sound like sour grapes but is relevant to Cincinnati’s federal lawsuit against Sorsby for breach of contract, a case that is separate from Sorsby’s lawsuit against the NCAA and the Big 12’s lawsuit against Texas Tech.
The Bearcats contend that Sorsby breached an 18-month NIL deal when he transferred to Texas Tech earlier this year, a transfer that reportedly included a $5 million NIL deal for the quarterback. Cincinnati contends that Sorsby breached his Bearcats NIL deal and, in doing so, triggered a liquidated damages provision of $1 million.
In court documents, Sorsby argues his NIL deal with Cincinnati was NIL in name only and, in reality, was a pay-for-play arrangement with an unenforceable liquidated damages provision. He insists his NIL rights had “very little monetary value” since, Sorsby contends, his value to the school was playing quarterback. Sorsby has moved to dismiss the lawsuit, a motion that U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett will evaluate in the months ahead.
