At a time when the Big 12 is considering taking action against Texas Tech, if/when quarterback Brendan Sorsby plays in games this season, Texas Tech has a message for its conference.
“If you want to go to battle with Texas Tech, get ready: We’re going to battle,” an unnamed source told Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.
More specifically, Dellenger reports that Texas Tech representatives have informed the Big 12 that any sanction imposed by the conference will be met with a legal challenge.
Per the report, Texas Tech is also exploring the potential for litigation against schools and conferences whose members plan to refuse to play Texas Tech, in football or any other sport. (Georgia and Nebraska reportedly intend to boycott Texas Tech generally.)
The most obvious approach for Sorsby and/or Texas Tech would be to file an action in the same court that has granted Sorsby a temporary injunction that restores his eligibility for 2026 (with a two-game suspension). The injunction against the NCAA becomes meaningless if its members punish Texas Tech for complying with the terms of the court order.
The order doesn’t apply to Texas Tech. It applies to Sorsby. He’s allowed to play. Any person or entity that tries to squeeze Texas Tech to keep him from playing will be violating the order. And Texas Tech will have standing to sue any person or entity that tries to induce Texas Tech to violate the order that restores Sorsby’s eligibility.
Dellenger notes that Texas Tech is already consulting with attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who secured the injunction for Sorsby.
The potential for litigation gives the Big 12 a convenient exit ramp as to its huffing and puffing about punishing Texas Tech. It already feels performative, aimed less at actually taking action and more at building additional momentum for a political solution for the broader issues college sports are facing — even if they created those problems through their own defiance of the antitrust laws through the collective refusal to pay players and to prohibit them from earning money through their names, images, and likenesses.
Whether other schools and conferences like it or not, Sorsby has the right to play in 2026. Anyone who attempts to frustrate that is violating the letter and/or spirit of the court order.
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