NCAA asks court for Sorsby ruling before season

The NCAA said a district judge overstepped in granting Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction allowing him to return to college football and is asking an appeals court for an expedited resolution before the season kicks off, according to legal documents filed Monday in Lubbock County District Court. Under Judge Ken Curry's ruling, Sorsby, who has admitted to betting on college football, could play for Texas Tech after sitting out the first two games of the season. Sorsby, who has been diagnosed with gambling and anxiety disorders, would be required to continue addiction treatment, according to Curry's ruling. The NCAA argued that Sorsby's eligibility is not a legal issue, but one that should be determined by the agreed-upon bylaws from NCAA members. "The injunction obliterates the status quo," attorneys for the NCAA wrote. "It destabilizes nationwide policies that protect competitive integrity. ... It invites others across the country to challenge NCAA decisions in court -- as shown by recent rulings that are already citing this case as precedent. And it teaches all athletes that when you break the rules and receive discipline, the solution is not to take responsibility, but to find a different umpire." The NCAA asked the appeals court to adjudicate the case by Aug. 28, a day before the start of the college football season, to spare all stakeholders from further disruption. The initial trial date was set for February, after the College Football Playoff championship. "The season will be over, the 'temporary' relief will have become permanent, and this lawsuit will have delivered to Sorsby everything he sought," the NCAA said in its filings. Sorsby placed more than 9,000 bets, totaling at least $90,000, over three years while he was enrolled at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech, including at least 40 wagers involving his team, according to court documents. The NCAA has not seen evidence that Sorsby manipulated his performance, used inside information to make his wagers or shared privileged information with bettors, according to the documents. Sorsby's attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The temporary injunction sparked calls to boycott games with Texas Tech, a lawsuit from the Big 12 and letters from at least four state attorneys general weighing in on the case. "[The injunction] sows chaos among member institutions, some of whom face an impossible choice: either compete against Texas Tech and face a court-orchestrated competitive imbalance, or protect the integrity of college sports by declining to do so," the NCAA wrote.