Sorsby Betting Ban
CFL Bars Brendan Sorsby From Signing After NCAA Betting Suspension
Brendan Sorsby's hopes of playing professional football in 2026 are officially dead. The Canadian Football League said Friday it will not register a contract for the 22-year-old quarterback and will not allow any of its nine teams to add him to a negotiation list, according to 3DownNation and Sportsnet.
The CFL's decision comes three days after the NFL also shut the door on Sorsby. The NFL told all 32 teams on June 23 it would not hold a 2026 Supplemental Draft, effectively blocking his only path into that league until the regular April 2027 draft, NBC Sports reported.
Nearly $90,000 in Bets Ended His College Career
Sorsby admitted to placing roughly 3,000 bets totaling nearly $90,000 over his college career, according to the Associated Press. At least 40 of those bets were on Indiana football games during his 2022 freshman season there. He did not play in those games, but the volume and nature of the bets — some placed through family members — triggered a permanent NCAA ban.
In April 2026, Sorsby checked into a 35-day residential treatment program for gambling addiction as the NCAA began its formal investigation, WTHR reported. The NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible the following month. His attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, argued the league "weaponized" a clinical addiction rather than treating it as a medical condition, according to Sports Illustrated.
A Texas Judge Opened a Door That Quickly Slammed Shut
On June 9, a Texas judge granted Sorsby a temporary injunction against the NCAA, allowing him to stay eligible for the 2026 college season. The ruling sparked immediate backlash. Big 12 athletic directors and coaches reportedly threatened to refuse to play Texas Tech if Sorsby took the field, according to ESPN.
Within days, Sorsby dropped his lawsuit and announced he would pursue pro football instead. He targeted the NFL's Supplemental Draft — a rare process used to add players outside the normal April draft. The NFL last held one in 2023, FOX Sports noted. When the NFL cancelled the 2026 edition specifically, analyst Mike Florio called it a "cop-out," saying the league could have simply investigated Sorsby's eligibility instead, per NBC Sports.
CFL's Negotiation List Ban Blocks Even a Placeholder Claim
The CFL uses a "negotiation list" system where teams can claim exclusive rights to up to 45 players. By barring Sorsby from those lists entirely, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie prevented any team from even holding his rights for future use, 3DownNation explained. The league cited "league integrity" as the reason for the directive.
The move leaves Sorsby with no professional or collegiate football options for the entire 2026 season. His only realistic path is training on his own and entering the regular 2027 NFL Draft, where FOX Sports projects him as a potential Day 2 pick — meaning a second or third round selection.
Legal Bills and an NIL Lawsuit Add to the Fallout
Sorsby's troubles extend beyond the field. The University of Cincinnati filed a $1 million lawsuit against him for breach of contract after he transferred to Texas Tech and then became ineligible, according to CanesInSight. The NFL's attorney, Lawrence P. Ferazani Jr., also sent a letter to Sorsby's camp saying his petition gave the league no basis to change its plans, citing "core integrity interests," per TSN.
The Sorsby case has forced both the NFL and CFL to draw a hard public line between gambling addiction as a medical issue and gambling violations as an integrity threat. For now, every major professional football door is closed. The 2027 NFL Draft is the earliest Sorsby could suit up for any team.
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