“I lost complete control of my addiction. I now realize the apps controlled me and I did not control them.” That’s how Brendan Sorsby put it in his statement to the NCAA, as he tried to explain what led him into a situation that now has his football future hanging upside down. He is coming off a 35 day rehabilitation program in Arizona and his camp is claiming it’s a classic case of addiction and mental health. Not intent. But even with that explanation in the mix, not everyone sees it that way.

Giving an update on recent court proceedings, ESPN’s Pete Thamel didn’t mince words, suggesting the case is trending toward a likely dead end for the quarterback, who now races against the NFL Supplemental Draft window, while his fate honestly remains officially undecided. 

“We’re waiting for the judge to rule,” Pete Thamel said on ESPN College Football. “But it just comes back to the fact that the fundamental core of the NCAA’s argument was like sports leagues don’t let people bet on their own team and then come back and play. I thought the argument had some merit that he did this stuff for years. He should’ve been permanently banned many years ago. So, he actually got some grace because he’s just come out with these revelations now.”

In May, the NCAA rendered Sorsby ineligible to play college football, and he filed an injunction against them in response. Per ESPN, investigations by the NCAA reveal that Sorsby placed thousands of bets, up to $90,000, during his stints at Indiana and Cincinnati. About 2,900 bets were made during his time with the Hoosiers, placing about 40 of them on Indiana while he was part of the roster. The only iota of obedience he showed was refraining from betting on games he played.

Sorsby violated not only the NCAA’s rule against betting on any sport in which the body sponsors a championship but also the rule against athletes betting on their own team or sport. The consequence of the latter is a permanent loss of eligibility from college football. But with Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney known for his success against the NCAA, on his side, there is some hope for Sorsby. That being said, Senior Judge Ken Curry holds the final say, regardless.

“The read I got from talking to different folks about it was that the judge didn’t tip his hand in a lot of ways,” Thamel continued. “He was pretty stoic throughout the whole thing. He was locked in. He was professional. He was listening and learning and asked for some more information. We’re sitting here on Wednesday around noon, taping for this podcast.”

Kessler has requested a ruling before June 15, exactly a week before the NFL’s supplemental draft registration ends. As things stand, there might be some opening for Sorsby in the NFL. Until then, fingers remain crossed as to what the court decides on Sorsby’s case.

NFL franchise rejects Brendan Sorsby

Since his case came up, Brendan Sorsby has been heavily touted to the Cleveland Browns, who are faced with some uncertainty in their QB room. Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, and rookie Taylen Green are the competitors for the QB1 spot, with no clear selection yet. Thamel described the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Sorsby as a potential top-50 talent in the Supplemental Draft, but Browns’ head coach Todd Monken is not entertaining such ideas.

“I like the quarterbacks we have,” Monken said. “I think that’s a slippery slope to go down that road. … From my end of it, kind of a tough angle to go down that road and think that that’s going to be your franchise quarterback if he’s ever eligible to play in the NFL,” he said on June 1.

Regardless of how badly the betting addiction seems to have painted Sorsby, his quality as a quarterback is undeniable. Playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats in the 2025 season, he threw for 2,800 yards, recorded 27 passing touchdowns, and threw just 5 interceptions. As a dual-threat QB, he rushed for 9 touchdowns. Over his college career, he has thrown for over 7,200 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 22 rushing touchdowns.