Nick BrombergSenior writerTue, April 28, 2026 at 12:33 PM UTC·2 min readWas Cincinnati aware of Brendan Sorsby’s betting habits?
Texas Tech announced Monday that the former Bearcats quarterback would be taking a leave of absence to seek inpatient treatment for a gambling addiction. Sorsby, who transferred to Texas Tech in the offseason, played the last two seasons at Cincinnati and reportedly placed a bet on Indiana to win a game while he was a freshman with the Hoosiers in 2022.
According to USA Today, Cincinnati “was alerted” to Sorsby’s betting ahead of the 2025 season.
When contacted by USA TODAY Sports on Monday, senior associate athletic director Zach Stipe released a statement saying, “Cincinnati Athletics has no comment at this time.”
The Big 12, which includes Cincinnati, uses ProhiBet, a compliance driven app every student-athlete in the conference must download on their phone. The app notifies universities when athletes attempt to sign up for betting platforms or place prohibited wagers.
Per multiple reports, Sorsby has regularly placed bets in recent years and regularly wagered on pitches at Cincinnati Reds games and on UFC fights. College athletes are prohibited from betting on both college and professional sports, though UFC fights are allowed via a loophole since mixed martial arts is not sanctioned by the NCAA in any capacity.
Players can lose their eligibility permanently for wagering on events at their own school and lose their eligibility for a portion of a season for wagers on professional sports if the total amount is less than $800. A college football player betting on a college football game at another school leads to a half-season ban.
If Cincinnati knew of Sorsby’s wagering and didn’t take any action, it can also face NCAA sanctions.
Sorsby has one season of eligibility remaining after he redshirted in 2022. Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was deemed permanently ineligible by the NCAA after he admitted in a plea agreement that he had wagered on Iowa State games when he was part of the team.
Tech’s announcement that Sorsby was entering treatment also came on the same day that the QB’s attorneys moved to dismiss a lawsuit by Cincinnati stemming from his transfer to Texas Tech. The school is seeking $1 million in liquidated damages for Sorsby’s transfer and arguing that he owes the money because of a multi-year revenue sharing agreement he signed with the team ahead of the 2025 season. Sorsby was Cincy’s starting QB for two seasons and was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal in December.