OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond publicly called on the Big 12 to sanction Texas Tech after quarterback Brendan Sorsby won a court order restoring his eligibility, setting aside his ban by the NCAA for gambling on pro and college sports.
“If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should,” Drummond wrote Friday in a letter to the conference.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned the Big 12 on Thursday of
potential legal action from Texas Tech as the conference considers its options. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the notice came shortly before the start of the league’s executive board meeting to discuss Sorsby's situation.
Drummond said claims that sanctions against Texas Tech would violate antitrust laws are meritless.
“By adopting and enforcing its bylaws, the Big 12 Conference is simply upholding integrity and fair play among membership," he said.
A Texas district court's temporary injunction that was issued Monday prevents the NCAA from enforcing its permanent ban of Sorsby, a decision that sent shock waves across college sports.
The transfer quarterback had been ruled ineligible after he acknowledged years of gambling that included more than $90,000 in wagers and at least 40 bets on his own team while he was a freshman at Indiana.
NCAA rules call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team.
Texas Tech said Sorsby has completed a month-long inpatient treatment program and will continue to receive treatment and support while being monitored.
Big 12 athletic directors in a conference call Tuesday expressed strong opposition to Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders in what will be his final college season. Some of those athletic directors suggested not playing Texas Tech if he does.
Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech in January for a reported multimillion-dollar deal after playing the past two seasons at Cincinnati, another Big 12 school. The 22-year-old Texas native first spent two seasons with the Hoosiers.
The Red Raiders, with one of college football’s most expensive rosters, won their first Big 12 title last season, set a school record with 12 wins and made the 12-team College Football Playoff.
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