So, no supplemental draft for Brendan Sorsby? Answ...

The Brendan Sorsby saga took another surprising turn after the NFL elected to not hold a supplemental draft in 2026. Sorsby applied for the supplemental draft three business days before the June 22 deadline, but the NFL wrote in a letter to the quarterback that his petition was "without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctions." Sorsby's attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, told ESPN that the NFL's decision to not hold a supplemental draft "is a violation of the CBA and the law. We will pursue this immediately with the NFLPA." Earlier this year, Sorsby admitted to placing bets on a variety of sports and completed in-patient rehab for a gambling addiction. The NCAA denied his request for reinstatement in May before a Texas judge granted him a temporary injunction in early June, making him eligible for the 2026 college football season. But then amid a Big 12 lawsuit against Texas Tech and backlash around his eligibility, Sorsby ultimately opted to apply for the supplemental draft. Now, after the NFL decided not to hold the supplemental draft, his options are limited. So what's next for Sorsby if he can't play in the NFL this fall? Why did things fall this way? We asked experts to answer the five biggest questions about the situation. Jump to a question: Why did the NFL decline? What is the NFL's stance on gambling? Can Sorsby ever turn pro? Can Sorsby still play in college? What's his fit in the 2027 draft class? Why did the NFL decide not to have a supplemental draft? According to the letter that the league sent to Sorsby informing him of the decision, the NFL felt it didn't have enough time to review his case before deciding to allow him to enter the supplemental draft. The deadline for applying was Monday, and Sorsby sent in his petition last week. Per league rules, the draft would have to be held no later than seven days prior to the opening of the first training camp, so that would mean July 15 or 16 this year. The letter sent to Sorsby by Larry Ferazani, who is general counsel for the NFL Management Council, details the behavior that led to Sorsby's NCAA ineligibility. It tells him his petition for the supplemental draft didn't sufficiently address that behavior and that the timing of his petition didn't leave the league enough time to conduct a sufficient review. The NFL has the right to hold or not hold a supplemental draft in any season, according to its sole discretion, and it hasn't had one since 2019. Sorsby was the only player who applied for it this year, so the league had no plans to hold one prior to Sorsby applying. Per the letter: "Your petition -- filed three business days before the deadline, without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctions -- does not provide a basis for the League to alter those plans." Basically, the nature of the issues that led Sorsby to apply -- his gambling behavior -- and the timing of the application convinced the league it was better to stay away from this one. -- Dan Graziano, NFL national reporter How has the NFL dealt with other players who bet on sports while playing college football? Before Sorsby, there was Hunter Dekkers. The projected starting quarterback at Iowa State, Dekkers was ruled ineligible before the 2023 season after a state criminal investigation found he had bet on at least one game involving the Cyclones using his mother's DraftKings account (among other wagers that violated NCAA bylaws). The bet was just $15 on Iowa State to beat Oklahoma State in a 2021 game in which he did not play, but it led to the end of his Division I career. He did not play football in 2023 and spent the 2024 season at Iowa Western Community College. He went undrafted before signing with the Saints as a free agent, where he spent last season on the practice squad. Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte had already been drafted by the Patriots the previous year when he was arrested in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in January 2024 on charges of underage betting while at LSU. According to police, Boutte placed more than 8,900 wagers from April 2022 to May 2023, including betting on at least 17 college football games -- at least six of which involved LSU. The NFL did not discipline Boutte, and the charges were ultimately dropped. -- David Purdum, sports betting reporter What does this mean for Sorsby's eligibility to turn pro? His attorney has said they'll continue to pursue this with the NFL Players Association, but it's unclear how that would work, since a player isn't even in the NFLPA until he enters the league. Sorsby and his team could continue to pursue legal action that forces the NFL to accept his petition and allow him to play this season, but since we're only about three weeks away from the latest possible date for a supplemental draft, it's unlikely a court could force the league to hold one. If Sorsby were to take this to court and succeed, it's theoretically possible he could be declared an unrestricted free agent and could sign with any team prior to the start of the season. But that feels farfetched, and even if so, the league could decide to suspend him. Sorsby will be eligible for the 2027 draft next April, and the league's letter to him encourages him to prepare for possible entry to the NFL via that avenue. -- Graziano Could Sorsby still play college football, at Texas Tech or elsewhere? Sorsby won't be able to play for Texas Tech or transfer to another college football program this year. On June 15, Texas Tech officials determined they could no longer move forward with supporting Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders this fall. They arrived at that conclusion amid concerns about potential Big 12 sanctions and the reality that, as board chairman Cody Campbell wrote, there was "no practical way to resolve all the various pending legal disputes and ensure his eligibility" prior to the June 22 supplemental deadline. Texas Tech encouraged Sorsby to pursue the NFL supplemental draft route. But in order to apply for the supplemental draft, Sorsby had to drop his lawsuit against the NCAA and become ineligible. His attorneys filed a motion to dismiss with prejudice last week, writing that Tech would not permit Sorsby to play which rendered the temporary injunction moot. That decision means Sorsby is once again permanently ineligible from NCAA competition for his repeated gambling violations. After Dekkers was ruled ineligible at Iowa State, he did have the option of going to a junior college and led Iowa Western to the NJCAA national title game in 2024. If Sorsby already has his degree, the junior college route seems unlikely. Another key difference in this situation is Sorsby already has 31 college starts under his belt, so a JUCO season arguably offers more risk than reward. -- Max Olson, college football reporter How could Sorsby fit into the 2027 draft class? If Sorsby doesn't play any football between now and the 2027 NFL draft, he'll be graded on his 2025 Cincinnati film, much as he would have been in the 2026 supplemental draft. I thought that film had starter traits but nowhere near the consistent accuracy necessary to see an NFL field for extended action. As such, I graded Sorsby as a developmental prospect worth a third-round pick. One year later, he'd receive the same grade -- but he'd be a year older, which is never a "stock up" for a prospect. He'd also be in a much deeper QB class than the 2026 draft, in which only two signal-callers were selected in the first two rounds. While we frequently overestimate the strength of incoming quarterback classes, 2026 was emphatically a below-average year, and 2027 should be firmly above average, even if it's not as spectacular as we currently anticipate. Players like Arch Manning (Texas), Dante Moore (Oregon), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) and LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) are all almost certain to enter, and on the back of their recent film, they would all be drafted above Sorsby. Underclassmen like CJ Carr (Notre Dame) and Jayden Maiava (USC), as well as wild cards like Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), increase the potential for a crowded and talented class. With imperfect film, a potential full year off from football and a glaring scarlet letter on his chest given how emphatically the league denied him entry in 2026, it's hard to imagine a pro team climbing out on a limb for Sorsby. -- Ben Solak, NFL analyst