Sports

‘Banned’ Iowa Hawkeye Rips Brendan Sorsby Ruling After Losing Eligibility Over $5 Wagers

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USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect


Brendan Sorsby is eligible for the 2026 college football after a court ruling in his NCAA gambling case. He is set to suit up for the Texas Tech Red Raiders this fall.

That decision has been met with criticism from media, school administrators, and fans. Now, a former Iowa wrestler has come out to rip the ruling.

Nelson Brands was “banned” from the sport after placing a trio of $5 wagers on the Hawkeyes’ football team. He lost a season of eligibility as a result of his gambling activity.

Brendan Sorsby will play despite gambling habit.

The transfer quarterback beat the system after admitting to betting on college athletics. Sorsby reportedly placed $90,000 worth of wagers on a variety of sports over the last four years.

Some came on his own team as a member of the Indiana football program. Many came while under the age of 21, violating state law. A number were linked to accounts created by family members and friends.

His gambling addition was uncovered ahead of his first season with Texas Tech. He was granted his final year of eligibility with a temporary injunction after spending 35 days in a rehab facility.

Sorsby was denied a request for reinstatement by the NCAA. He won his case in a Lubbock, Texas courthouse to overrule that restriction. The decision is monumental.

The passer broke the NCAA’s golden rule. He will receive a slap on the wrist in the form of a two-game suspension. Sorsby will be eligible for each of the Red Raiders’ nine conference games barring a reversal on appeal.

In the past, gambling on college sports has been cause for an NCAA ban. Betting on your own team is the ultimate no-no as it undermines the integrity of the game.

One of the most recent cases to play out prior to Brendan Sorsby’s ruling occurred in Iowa. Both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones had players suspended as a result of gambling.

Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was blackballed because of his activity. He missed the 2023 season after being slated as the starter and was forced to transfer down to JUCO.

He placed more than 300 bets at a total of approximately $2,800.26, with many coming on Iowa State sports.

Iowa baseball superstar Keaton Anthony was suspended as part of that same probe, which cost him the final 17 games of his last season with the Hawkeyes and tanked his MLB Draft stock.

There were more than a dozen others punished in the sting. Nelson Brands was one of them.

The wrestler signed with Iowa ahead of the 2018 season. He competed the next four seasons, being named an All-American in 2022-23. He was ruled ineligible for his senior year.

Brands’ gambling activity was not nearly as egregious as Sorsby’s. He claims to have placed three $5 bets on Iowa football games. They were not linked to his sport or team. Still, he was barred from competition.

Brands blasted the Sorsby ruling on social media this week.

He would later be reinstated to compete in 2024-25. Now, he is a coach at Cal Poly.

Texas Tech is enemy No. 1.

Schools and conferences are already holding discussions about removing the Red Raiders from future schedules. That does not apply to football alone.

There have also been calls for the College Football Playoff to ban the program from the postseason.

Texas Tech’s recruiting antics as they apply to NIL and the transfer portal had already been questioned. Sorsby, for example, is being sued by his former school for breaking contract.

Following the latest ruling, the Red Raiders are the NCAA’s ultimate villain. Some close to the program are embracing it. With that said, a target is on their back.

It will be interesting to see if there are any further repercussions that come from Texas Tech’s decision to play their transfer quarterback.