Big 12 Files 47-Page Complaint Over Sorsby Eligibility
The Big 12 filed a 47-page federal complaint in Dallas on Monday morning over sorsby’s eligibility fight, pushing the dispute into U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas. The conference wants a judge to say it can enforce its bylaws against Texas Tech without breaking the law.
Paxton’s warning to the Big 12
The filing turns a conference dispute into a court fight over whether Texas Tech can be punished separately from the NCAA case against Brendan Sorsby. A visiting judge granted him a temporary injunction earlier this month, and the conference says that ruling does not strip it of its own authority under league bylaws.
Ken Paxton warned the Big 12 on Thursday that it could face major legal liability if it moves against Texas Tech for continuing to support Sorsby. The next day, Oklahoma Attorney General urged the conference to take action over the quarterback’s gambling violations, adding pressure on both sides of the dispute.
Texas Tech and the bylaws
The complaint names Texas Tech University, System Chancellor Brandon Creighton, University President Lawrence Schovanec, Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt, and Paxton. It asks for declaratory judgement and a preliminary injunction, and it also seeks to block the State of Texas from punishing or threatening the conference for sanctioning Texas Tech.
The Big 12 says the NCAA case against Sorsby only affects NCAA enforcement, not the league’s separate power to act under its own rules. That split is the core of the filing: one proceeding tied to eligibility, another tied to conference discipline.
Sorsby’s betting case
The NCAA investigation found that Sorsby bet on his own Indiana football team in 2022 and made approximately $90,000 in bets over the past four years while enrolled at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. Texas Tech was not part of the lawsuit he filed against the NCAA, but the school is now central to the conference’s complaint.
Possible sanctions listed in the filing include withholding revenue and banning Texas Tech from the conference championship game this season. For the school, the immediate issue is not just Sorsby’s 2026 season eligibility; it is whether the Big 12 can move before the legal fight around him is settled.
