Pat Forde: Why Sitting Out 2026 May Be Brendan Sorsby’s Path Back to Football
Pat Forde: Why Sitting Out 2026 May Be Brendan Sorsby’s Path Back to Football
The quarterback has spent two months trying to outrun the consequences of his gambling addiction, but sitting out may be the first step toward rebuilding his life and career.Pat Forde|
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Texas Tech Red RaidersThe letter from the NFL to Brendan Sorsby on Tuesday was unsparing and inelastic. Message: We’re not fast-tracking a quarterback into the league with a history of breaking rules and laws when it comes to sports wagering. Maybe later, not now. Full stop.
This should be the final blunt rejection needed to get Sorsby, his lawyers, his agent and everyone else in his circle to realize the magnitude of his mistakes and how they affect his chosen field of employment. (Oh, and same message to Ken Curry, the wildly unserious Texas judge who breathed life into Sorsby’s attempt to play college football with a crackpot temporary injunction.) It took nearly two months to reach this point of clarity, but here it is: not playing football in 2026 was, is and shall be the best path forward for a quarterback recovering from a gambling addiction.
It’s unfortunate that the message had to be delivered from the outside of Sorsby’s circle, not the inside.
Sorsby and his enablers (which included Texas Tech leadership for a long period of time) tried to power through this with football as the end goal. Like many addicts, Sorsby did not voluntarily enter rehab—he went in after his pattern of gambling was discovered and threatened his college eligibility. After unsuccessfully battling the NCAA in the face of evidence of major rules violations, the next stop was the courtroom. A dubious victory there was eventually checkmated by the Big 12 in federal court. That’s when Sorsby gave up on college ball, or Tech gave up on playing him, or some combination of the two.
He did not give up on the NFL. Many a problem child has taken the supplemental draft route into the league, but this was a different situation—problem gamblers scare the hell out of every governing body in sports. Sorsby’s apparently flippant approach to joining the league via that option was shoved back at him Tuesday.
The NFL’s letter asserts that Sorsby’s petition for the supplemental draft does not “demonstrate accountability for your conduct or indicate whether, or how, you would adhere to the league’s rules and policies regarding the integrity of competition. Instead, even after receiving notice of the NCAA’s decision rescinding your college eligibility in May, you sought to avoid the consequences of that determination through litigation rather than accepting responsibility for your actions, and you pursued entry into the NFL only after abandoning those efforts.”
Yet even that body slam of a letter seemingly has not deterred Sorsby’s lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler, who has declared the NFL’s decision “a violation of the [collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the players] and the law. We will pursue this immediately with the NFLPA.”
Is it really time for another legal battle in this saga? At what point does Sorsby tire of the fight—and of the legal bills from Kessler, whose services are not cheap? At what point do he and his people realize the toxicity around him and give up on playing football this fall?
As I’ve said before, sitting out the 2026 season doesn’t end Sorsby’s football life. If anything, it might enhance it, in the long run. Taking the time and finding the space to ensure that his non-football life is in order should be the priority. Diving into a high-pressure, high-visibility season in which every interception or incompletion carries cynical scrutiny sounds like a terrible situation for a recovering addict.
Call it a sabbatical. Call it a redshirt season. Call it a mental health timeout. Then enter the 2027 draft, present yourself as a healthy and hungry rookie to team executives, and make the most of whatever chance comes your way.
If it would be helpful to Sorsby’s recovery, he could even use a sabbatical season to become a powerful walking testimonial to the perils of gambling addiction. If that guy walks into a football team room on a college campus and tells his story, every single athlete is listening to every single word. There is no more vivid, real-world example of what impermissible/illegal sports wagering can take away from a young, rising star.
IC360, the gambling compliance firm, has former athletes who are recovering gambling addicts on staff; they deliver similar talks regularly. I sat in on one last year at Big Sky Conference media days, wherein a former minor-league baseball player detailed losing nearly a million dollars. His message arrived with a wallop.
Even if Sorsby doesn’t want to be a participant in getting the message out, the NCAA’s anti-gambling campaign has greater impact now. The association—and every member institution—can point directly to the consequences here. That should be a massive deterrent.
Sorsby himself might not yet be fully deterred from trying to play football this year. But after two months of trying to outrun all the consequences of his actions, he’s about out of real estate.
The NCAA said no. The Big 12 said no. Now the NFL has said no.
It’s time to sit this one out. Which might be the best thing that could happen to Brendan Sorsby.
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PAT FORDEPat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who covers college football and college basketball as well as the Olympics and horse racing. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Forde has won 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, has been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and member of the Football Writers Association of America, he lives in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
