Brendan Sorsby’s options to play football this season were already limited, but now another door has slammed shut. After the 22-year-old parted ways with the Red Raiders and opted to go pro this year, the NFL chose not to hold the 2026 supplemental draft. The CFL became the next obvious choice, but the league has announced its final decision.

“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL. The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning,” said the CFL in a statement on June 26, obtained by USA Today Sports. “At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him, and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list.”

Though the CFL’s 2026 season started early in June, players could enter a team’s roster through open evaluations if they missed the league’s annual draft, as per the eligibility rule. Given that, Sorsby had a chance to play pro football this season with the league. But the CFL is concerned about his gambling history, for which all the drama and the NCAA’s investigation started.

Ultimately, Sorsby dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA to become eligible for the supplemental draft, and he even applied for it right before the deadline. But the NFL decided not to hold it in 2026, and the league sent a letter to Sorsby explaining the reason behind their decision.

“The League has not conducted such a draft for several years and, prior to your submission, the League had no plans to do so this year, as no other player has sought entry,” wrote NFL attorney Lawrence P. Ferazani Jr. in that letter, obtained by the Associated Press.

“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. The issues presented by your petition are too significant and too closely tied to the League’s core integrity interests to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented.”

Simply put, the league doesn’t have enough time to investigate Sorsby’s case. However, his attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, intended to continue the legal battle to get the ex-Red Raider playing this season. He spoke about taking action against the NFL, as to him, the league’s decision “is a violation of the collective bargaining agreement.” But it may not work, as per Fox Sports college football reporter Bruce Feldman.

“I thought the NFL did the right thing here,” said Feldman on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on June 24. “You have a guy who had gambled extensively on college sports, among other things, and because there was one judge in Texas that tried to tell the NCAA, ‘No, you can’t punish him for doing something that everybody else had basically lost their eligibility for,’ it caused all this drama and uproar.”

Feldman suggested Brendan Sorsby use the time to correct himself if he wants a future career. Though the CFL was a proven path for QBs like Jeff Garcia, who once used it to build a successful career with the 49ers, Sorsby’s case is different. He placed 40 improbable bets on Indiana when he played a backup role there. Given that, the CFL’s decision not to register Sorby has closed all doors for the QB to continue his journey, leaving him with no option but to wait for the 2027 NFL draft.

Yet, if the QB wants to play in 2026, he has only one option left: junior college. Former Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers was suspended for gambling, and after that, he played at the junior level. Finally, in 2025, he made an entry into the NFL with the New Orleans Saints. Now Sorsby can use this path to get a way to save his football career.

Brendan Sorsby’s NFL fate is in danger

In the past, the NFL gave Josh Gordon a chance through the supplemental draft despite the NCAA ruling him ineligible due to his drug issues. He went on to have a breakout second season in 2013 after being suspended for the opening two games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The wide receiver was suspended again in 2014 for part of the season before missing the entirety of the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Then, there are a few more examples of players who got opportunities. But this time, the league is strict in Brendan Sorsby’s case, despite the QB having immense talent.

His gambling violated the NCAA’s strict sports wagering rules. The governing body imposed a permanent ban, but Sorsby’s legal team filed a lawsuit to restore his eligibility. His attorney argued that the NCAA was weaponizing his medically diagnosed gambling issue. A Texas court issued an injunction permitting the QB to play in the 2026 season.

In their letter to Sorsby, the NFL took particular issue with his failure to demonstrate accountability for his conduct.

“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 attorney said.

The likes of Dan Patrick have suggested that the QB should educate college students about the adverse effects of gambling to prove that he is serious about a course correction. There is no guarantee that NFL teams will pursue him next year, given his gambling history with over 9,000 impossible bets since 2022. There would also be doubts about his lack of gridiron time when compared to the next year’s draft class, who will play football this season.

A redemption arc can generate goodwill.