Former Inidiana, Cincinnati QB Brandon Sorsby faces uncertain future after admitting to placing 9,000 wages on sports

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In the July 26, 2026 episode of Legally Speaking on WFMJ Today, Attorney and former gridiron standout Frank Cassese examines the controversy surrounding former Indiana and Cincinnati University quarterback Brendan Sorsby who was booted from college football after admitting he had placed more than 9,000 bets during his career—including more than 40 wagers involving Indiana when he was a member of the team. You may view the episode here.
After the NCAA stripped Sorsby of his eligibility to play, he sued and secured a temporary injunction that would have enabled him to get back in the game. In response teams in the Big 12 Conference said they would not play Cincinnati if Sorsby suited up.
Rather than file another lawsuit to force his way back onto the field, Sorsby announced that he would abandon college football and enter the NFL’s supplemental draft—a draft the league then cancelled.
According to Attorney Cassese who was a standout high school football player, the NCAA, Big 12, and NFL were justified in attempting to keep Sorsby out of the huddle. “To protect the integrity of college and pro sports athletes have always been barred from betting on games,” he said. “People like Pete Rose who were caught violating that rule faced serious consequences, so Sorsby probably wasn’t surprised that college football ejected him from the game.”
“The NFL’s decision to cancel the supplemental draft, however, obviously caught him off guard,” Atty. Cassese continued. “While the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement requires the league to conduct an annual player draft like the one held earlier this year in Pittsburgh, they are under no obligation to stage a supplemental draft. Was it a coincidence that they cancelled it the same year Sorsby’s gambling habit came to light? We’ll probably never know. One interesting point: Bernie Kosar was selected by the Browns in a supplemental draft.”
“Because the supplemental draft is discretionary, Sorsby doesn’t have any legal recourse so the question becomes what can he do,” Atty. Cassese said. “Were I advising him I’d say, okay we need to start over and rebuild your brand—simply being a great player isn’t enough to overcome the issues surrounding your character and trustworthiness.”
“In my opinion, he should look at what happened as an unofficial suspension. Don’t try to battle the NFL in court—that will just make it more difficult to enter the league. Just get ready for the 2027 draft and deal with the problems that put you in this position.”
Atty. Cassese also said the NFL has the right to issue an official suspension for gambling even though Sorsby was in college when he placed the astonishing number of bets. “The leadure has suspended players for entire seasons for gambling and they hare the right to take action against Sorsby, especially in light of his egregious behavior. He must prove that he deserves the privilege of playing in the NFL.”
Frank said Sorsby is already taking steps in that direction.
“He has a diagnosed gambling addiction, which is a real thing. and he went to rehab. I think the NFL will look at that, but I also think it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they could
punish him in the future. But if he continues to do the right thing he may avoid being blackballed by the league and its teams.”
to have a much better shot of when he does come and arrive in the NFL to not be blackballed by the
“I have to say I won’t be surprised if similar situations arise in the future given the fact that gambling is now so accessible for everyone,” Frank commented. “When Pete Rose was betting on games he had to call a bookie. Today, you can bet on anything you want anytime you want just by using an app on your phone.”
“That means the NCAA, the NFL, and other sports leagues will really need to substantially increase sanctions and penalties if they want to stop players from betting—we could see lifetime bans rather than year-long suspensions.”
“There’s one sure bet,” Frank concluded. “The problem is going to grow in the years ahead and it will be interesting to see how big-time sports deals with the issue.”