Brendan Sorsby ruling takes college sports somewhere it can’t afford to go
Fast-break points from the deck of my ark:
21. The NCAA. Frequently, when the NCAA loses in court, it is good. Too often the college sports governing body uses the legal system to try to restrict the economic freedom of its athletes.
20. The Brendan Sorsby case. The temporary injunction granted by Texas district judge Ken Curry to Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby on Monday is an exception to the above. The ruling would allow Red Raiders quarterback Sorsby to play in 2026 in spite of his previously having placed thousands of sports bets as a college athlete that totaled at least $90,000 — and were in violation of NCAA rules.
19. The third rail of sports. The one thing competitive sports must have is confidence in the integrity of the games. Preserving that is why athletes, coaches and referees have long been restricted from wagering.
18. A mental-health exception. Sorsby’s attorneys argued that the former Indiana and Cincinnati QB merited a temporary restraining order because he had been diagnosed with a gambling addiction and had gone through rehab. By banning him from playing, they argued, the NCAA would not be supporting his mental health.
17. Actions and consequences. Presumably, any person being held accountable for an adverse act suffers a negative impact to their mental health. That should not exempt one from the consequences of one’s actions.
16. The NCAA fights back. The NCAA has filed a notice of appeal in the Sorsby case. Every organized sports organization in the U.S. should file a “friend of the court” brief in support.
15. The Triple Crown calendar. There seems more support for adding time between the Thoroughbred horse racing Triple Crown races — the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes — than I can ever recall.
14. A five-week test. Traditionally, the Derby runs on the first Saturday in May, the Preakness two weeks later and the Belmont three weeks after the Preakness. However, in three of the past five years, including this year, the Derby winner has skipped the Preakness.
13. One risk in changing. To me, much of the appeal of the Triple Crown is that it was the same achievement for American Pharoah in 2015 that it was for Secretariat in 1973.
12. Another risk in changing. Advocates believe trainers would run more of the top horses in all three Triple Crown races if there were more recovery time in between. I wonder if that is actually true?
11. Todd Pletcher. After the favored Renegade, in his first race since the Kentucky Derby, ran a dull third behind Golden Tempo and Commandment in last Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, trainer Pletcher indicated that the five weeks off between the two races may not have been enough. “The only excuse I’d make is that (Renegade) ended up needing a little bit more time between races,” Pletcher said.
10. Golden Tempo. Having added the Belmont Stakes win to the earlier victory in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Cherie DeVaux’s rising star would seem all but a lock to win the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male — unless a different 3-year-old wins both the Travers Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
9. Jayden Quaintance. If you believe the mock drafts, the former Kentucky men’s basketball center is likely to give UK coach Mark Pope his first NBA first-round draft choice. The 6-foot-10, 255-pound Quaintance is projected to go No. 15 overall by CBSSports.com, No. 17 by The Athletic and No. 22 by ESPN.com.
8. Otega Oweh. If you believe the mocks, UK is likely to have two players taken in the NBA draft for the second-straight year (in 2025, Koby Brea went 41st overall; Amari Williams, 46th). The 6-4, 220-pound Oweh is projected to go No. 38 by CBSSports.com, No. 56 by The Athletic and No. 57 by ESPN.com.
7. Richie Saunders. A third player Pope coached will likely be chosen in the 2026 NBA draft. Former BYU star Saunders is projected to go No. 36 by CBSSports.com, No. 40 by The Athletic and No. 41 by ESPN.com. Pope coached the 6-5, 200-pound Saunders in 2022-23 and 2023-24 at BYU.
6. Ugonna Onyenso. The former Kentucky center had something of a breakout season last year for Virginia. Now, the 7-foot, 245-pound Onyenso is projected to go in the NBA draft at No. 40 by CBSSports.com, No. 41 by ESPN.com and No. 44 by The Athletic.
5. Matt Ponatoski. The two-sport Kentucky signee, a football quarterback and baseball shortstop/pitcher, told Overslotbaseball.com that he hopes to be chosen in the 2026 MLB draft and sign. “That’s (option) 1A, for sure,” Ponatoski said.
4. Draft ranking. Baseball America lists Ponatoski, who throws right-handed but bats left-handed, as the No. 139 prospect in the 2026 MLB draft.
3. Slot value. Minnesota holds the No. 139 pick in the 2026 MLB draft. That pick carries a $536,900 slot value.
2. UK QB scenario with Ponatoski. Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey is the presumptive Kentucky starting quarterback. If Ponatoski, a Cincinnati product, makes it to UK, I think he would have a viable chance to earn the No. 2 role.
1. UK QB scenario without Ponatoski. If Ponatoski chooses pro baseball, redshirt freshman Brennan Ward and Marshall transfer JacQai Long will compete to be Minchey’s backup.
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Brendan Sorsby ruling takes college sports somewhere it can’t afford to go."
