College football quarterback Brendan Sorsby is under investigation by Ohio state gambling officials, the Ohio Casino Control Commission confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday.
In a statement, the commission said it “has received information that has warranted an integrity investigation be conducted related to Brendan Sorsby.” The commission noted it would not release any further information until the investigation is complete.
A fifth-year senior, Sorsby is already under investigation by the NCAA for allegedly gambling on Indiana football games in 2022 while he was a redshirt freshman for the Hoosiers. He spent two years at Indiana before transferring to Cincinnati for another two seasons. The quarterback then transferred to Texas Tech this spring for what would be his final year of eligibility.
The Athletic previously made a public records request with the Indiana Gaming Commission for items related to Sorsby, but the agency said it was withholding responsive documents because of a state law that shields the investigatory records of a law enforcement agency.
Sorsby recently took an “indefinite leave of absence” from the Texas Tech football program to enter a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction. While Texas Tech has supported Sorsby as he seeks treatment, it has not said whether he will return to play for the Red Raiders.
The NCAA updated its gambling policies in 2023 to include the possibility of permanent eligibility bans for players who bet on their own teams. Whether Sorsby will face such a ban remains unclear, however, since the alleged misconduct occurred before the institution of that rule. Sorsby has retained prominent sports labor lawyer Jeffrey Kessler as he prepares for a potential eligibility battle, Kessler confirmed to The Athletic last weekend.
Kessler has decades of experience in sports law, having worked on cases that helped bring free agency to the NFL and the NBA. More recently, the 71-year-old was the co-lead plaintiff attorney in the landmark House v. NCAA settlement, which permitted schools to pay athletes directly for their name, image and likeness.
— Matt Baker and Justin Williams contributed to this story.
