It’s the end of the line for Brendan Sorsby before he ever took a snap for Texas Tech. The biggest voice to address the situation on Monday was Texas Tech Board of Regents chairman and billionaire donor Cody Campbell, who explained why the parties had reached what he described as the only realistic outcome.

“We always strive to do what is right, even when doing the right thing is not popular,” Cody Campbell wrote in a lengthy statement on X. “Recently, the situation surrounding Brendan Sorsby has put that to the test. But throughout it all, Texas Tech acted with the utmost integrity in following all NCAA protocol, provided complete transparency and cooperated with them in every possible way.”

Cody Campbell stated that the university’s priority was Brendan Sorsby’s well-being rather than a courtroom victory. His statement landed just hours after Texas Tech confirmed that the QB would not play college football this fall despite receiving a court injunction restoring his eligibility. What followed was the final chapter of one of the biggest eligibility battles college football has seen.

According to Campbell, Texas Tech never filed the lawsuit against the NCAA. That legal challenge came directly from Brendan Sorsby, who funded the case himself. While the QB won a temporary injunction, the legal fight created massive fallout across the sport as schools openly criticized the ruling. The Big 12 launched legal action of its own as Conference politics and state attorneys general became involved. 

Campbell revealed that the decision to part ways stems from mutual agreement on both sides. 

“This decision was made with Brendan and his family and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation,” he wrote in an open letter Monday night. “This is the only viable and fair path for Brendan and his future, as well as for his teammates, and our university.”

The letter also captured Cody Campbell’s belief that college sports have descended into chaos. He used the Brendan Sorsby situation as another example of why he believes Congressional intervention is necessary. 

“This horrible situation strengthens our belief that college sports need meaningful reform, and I know carry even greater resolve to see that these reforms are made,” he added. 

Campbell pointed toward the proposed Protect College Sports Act of 2026 as a potential solution, a bill that has their full support. But it’s the Big 12’s action that prompted this decision in the first place. 

The Big 12 drew a hard line on Brendan Sorsby’s ruling 

The strongest resistance to Brendan Sorsby’s return came from the Big 12. In one of the most extraordinary moves a conference has made against one of its own members, the league filed a 47-page federal complaint against Texas Tech, the Texas Tech University System, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and multiple university officials.

The filing sought confirmation that the conference could enforce its own bylaws and potentially punish Texas Tech if it chose to play the QB during the 2026 season.

According to the complaint, Big 12 officials urged Texas Tech not to move forward with Brendan Sorsby. Conference leaders feared that allowing a player accused of betting on his own team’s games to compete would lead to “reputational harm and irreparable damage to public and member trust in the integrity of league competitions.”

Then came the sharpest line in the document.

“In an industry that rarely agrees on anything, there is finally an issue that everyone seems to agree on (other than TTU and the Attorney General): universities should not field players who have bet on their own team’s games in college athletics,” the filing stated. 

The consequences being discussed were serious, which included financial penalties and even the possibility of barring the Red Raiders from the Big 12 Championship Game. But before those consequences could be out in effect, Texas Tech and Brendan Sorsby chose to put an end to it all.

Now, he’ll direct his focus on the upcoming NFL Supplemental Draft. The deadline is June 22, and there’s already buzz among three franchises.