Quarterback Brendan Sorsby will not play in the NFL in 2026 as the league has elected not to hold a supplemental draft.
The NFL’s decision came down to its right to decide whether to hold a supplemental draft, per the collective bargaining agreement, as league officials said they believed it would ultimately become a distraction to teams as they begin training camps.
“His application carries with it a lot of issues,” an NFL source told ESPN. “Core of the game integrity issues.”
Sorsby admitted to betting thousands of times on college and pro sports, bets that totaled upward of $90,000. Those bets included 40 bets on Indiana football while he was on the team’s roster.
Sorsby’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, told ESPN 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.”
The league told Sorsby in a letter obtained by ESPN: “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.”
Here’s the NFL’s letter to Brendan Sorsby, informing him it is declining his petition to enter the supplemental draft, which will not be held this year. pic.twitter.com/Tfoei8fCjp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 23, 2026
Sorsby had initially been issued a temporary injunction to clear his path to play at Texas Tech 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 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 letter, signed by Larry Ferazani, the general counsel of the NFL Management Council adds that his petition does not “demonstrate accountability for your conduct or indicate whether, or how, you would adhere to the League’s rules and policies governing the integrity of competition.
“Instead, even after receiving notice of the NCAA’s decision rescinding your college eligibility in May, you sought to avoid the consequences of that determination through litigation rather than accepting responsibility for your actions, and you pursued entry into the NFL only after abandoning those efforts.”
The NFL hasn’t held a supplemental draft since 2019. Sorsby would potentially be able to play in the CFL. He’s currently ineligible to play under NCAA rules.
“As Commissioner Goodell has emphasized, participation in the NFL is a privilege that carries with it significant responsibilities, including accountability,” Ferazani said. “By all accounts, you are a talented player with the potential for future success. We encourage you to focus on preparing for possible entry into the NFL through the 2027 NFL Annual Draft.”
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 loomed as the biggest football story of the offseason.
The NFL source added of Sorsby’s late filing: “It’s an avoidance of that distraction (to teams) caused by his own timing.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport contributed to this report.