Against the backdrop of immense backlash and a slew of legal filings, quarterback Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech have mutually agreed to part ways, sources tell On3’s Pete Nakos.
He plans to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, applying for it after parting ways with the school. The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that Sorsby plans to drop his college eligibility lawsuit Tuesday; that will make him eligible for the supplemental draft as a player who has exhausted college eligibility.
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Sorsby has been the subject of significant scrutiny in the college football world after a controversial legal decision temporarily restored his eligibility for the 2026 season. He had previously been declared ineligible by Texas Tech and the NCAA for wagering on college sports.
But when a court granted a temporary injunction for Brendan Sorsby against the NCAA, allowing him to play after serving a two-game suspension, multiple parties immediately took staunch opposition. The Big 12 conference was among them.
The Big 12 has continued to fight the court ruling through legal avenues. The conference has repeatedly stressed it thinks Sorsby playing would significantly harm the college athletics landscape.
Along with the NCAA, the conference has taken steps to legally ensure it can act in its own interests in the Brendan Sorsby case. Failing to allow the conference to enact its own bylaws, the Big 12 said, would be harmful.
“The Big 12 filed a legal complaint asking a federal court to protect the constitutional and contractual rights on the Conference and our member institutions to take actions expressly permitted under our Bylaws,” read a Big 12 statement on Monday, obtained by On3’s Pete Nakos. “The Big 12 has long spoken out about the dangers of sports wagering and remains committed to protecting the competitive integrity of conference competition. Universities should not field players who have bet on their own team’s games in college athletics.
“This situation is evolving with pending legal matters and the upcoming start of the football season, and the Conference hopes for a timely resolution off these issues. The Board continues to keep all options on the table.”
The latest filing by the NCAA, seeking a stay on the injunction granted to Brendan Sorsby, was a major escalation in the case. The NCAA was seeking a more timely resolution to the case than what had previously been on the table.
As it stood, Brendan Sorsby, who admitted to placing a multitude of bets while in college, including some on his own team while at Indiana, could have played this fall after serving a two-game suspension. Many parties, including the Big 12 and the NCAA, came out staunchly against that injunction provided by the court ruling.
They argued that such a ruling would undermine the credibility of the system as a whole and weaken the institutions’ ability to enforce their own rules. The NCAA argued a stay to the injunction was necessary to preserve the status quo while the appeals process unfolded.
“The trial court’s temporary injunction sweeps beyond anything Texas law permits,” the NCAA filing read. “It undermines the integrity of college sports, rewrites member-adopted rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, immunizes Brendan Sorsby from discipline for admitted and serial violations of NCAA anti-gambling rules, incentivizes a run on courthouses across the country to challenge even the most obvious and straightforward student-athlete eligibility decisions, and demolishes the status quo.”

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby plans to enter the 2026 NFL supplemental draft, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. The expected decision ends a major firestorm over his eligibility.
Sorsby plans to withdraw his lawsuit against the NCAA on Tuesday, according to NFL Network. With his temporary injunction no longer valid, he would formally become ineligible again, which makes him eligible to enter the supplemental draft.
“This decision was made with Brendan and his family and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation,” Texas Tech board chairman Cody Campbell said in a statement. “Brendan and Texas Tech stand on very solid and legitimate legal ground, but he faces a June 22nd deadline to be eligible to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, and there is no practical way to resolve all the various pending legal disputes and ensure his eligibility prior to this date. This is the only viable and fair path for Brendan and his future, as well as for his teammates, and our university.”
Campbell also noted that Texas Tech would not seek the return of any money paid under his contract with the school. According to reports, Sorsby was set to make more than $5 million.
Sorsby admitted to placing thousands of bets during his four years as a college athlete at Indiana and Cincinnati, including gambling on his own program while playing at Indiana. Gambling on your own team or university is grounds for permanent loss of collegiate eligibility, per NCAA rules.
The Brendan Sorsby dilemma: The tape says first round. The gambling controversy complicates everything.
Ryan Wilson
However, Sorsby received an injunction in a Lubbock County District Court that would allow him to play, pending his formal trial in February 2027. The NCAA appealed the decision.
The Big 12 has discussed options in the past week to punish Sorsby and Texas Tech, including potential ineligibility for the Big 12 Championship Game. Responding to a statement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the league filed a request for an injunction that, if granted, would allow it to enforce its rules against Texas Tech. The attorney generals rom Oklahoma, Kansas and Utah also stood up in support of the conference.
Instead of going through the legal process, Sorsby will instead attempt to become the first player drafted in the NFL supplemental draft in the NIL era. Texas Tech will turn to quarterback Will Hammond, who missed the spring after recovering from a torn ACL in October.
The backlash grows
Rated the No. 2 overall prospect in the transfer portal, Sorsby was a significant addition for Texas Tech. The program lost senior Behren Morton to the NFL, and Hammond’s injury left them wary about entering a pivotal season without clarity at the position.
Early reviews from spring camp were stellar, including a four-touchdown performance in the spring game. After getting tipped off by the NCAA that an investigation was coming, Sorsby entered a gambling rehab facility in Arizona, spending five weeks in inpatient care. Following the ruling, Texas Tech and Sorsby applied for his reinstatement, stating that the NCAA should have taken further account that Sorsby had a clinically diagnosed gambling disorder.
When Sorsby’s application was denied, he retained high-powered attorney Jeffrey Kessler and successfully filed for an injunction that would block the NCAA from suspending him. The backlash was swift against Sorsby and Texas Tech for embracing him. Georgia and Nebraska both announced that they would not schedule the Red Raiders in any sport. According to Yahoo Sports, Michigan canceled a scheduled volleyball match against the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech released a 21-minute video on Friday with its president, athletic director and football coach explaining all the nuances of the decision. Ultimately, the pressure getting elevated to the Big 12 and state government levels was too much for Sorsby and his camp.
What’s next for Sorsby
Sorsby is now expected to enter the 2026 NFL supplemental draft, which has not been held since 2023. No player has been elected in the draft since Washington State defensive back Jalen Thompson in 2019.
NFL teams can select players in the supplemental draft by blindly submitting a pick number, which they would then forfeit in next year’s draft. CBS Sports’ NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson is high on Sorsby’s ability, seeing him as a potential first-round talent. But with his gambling addiction and firestorm over his eligibility, the process becomes far more complicated.
In two years as a starter at Cincinnati, Sorsby threw for a combined 5,613 yards, rushed for 1,027 yards and scored 63 touchdowns. He earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2025.
Only two quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft: the Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza and the Rams’ Ty Simpson. Sorsby could be a buy-low candidate for a franchise.
Where Texas Tech stands
Texas Tech has stood by Sorsby during the process, even as he was expected to lose eligibility. While Sorsby, not Texas Tech, filed the lawsuit, they supported his return to the roster and campus as a result of the injunction.
“The truth is, contrary to the public narrative, Texas Tech’s only objectives have been to protect the well-being and best interest of one of our new students, his fellow student-athletes, our institution and our community,” Campbell said.
Now, the Red Raiders are handing the ball to Hammond, a former blue-chip recruit from Hutto, Texas. The rising sophomore came off the bench against Utah last season and delivered a 169-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 34-10 road victory.
With Hammond still unlikely to be ready for the opener, Texas Tech has a few other options on the roster. Redshirt freshman Lloyd Jones III is the only other player on the roster with snaps at Texas Tech, all coming against West Virginia. Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis started 10 games for the Golden Hurricane, throwing for more than 3,000 yards in 18 appearances.
Even without Sorsby, Texas Tech is projected as the favorite to win the Big 12 and become the first team to go back-to-back since Oklahoma won six straight from 2015-20.

Key events
New Zealand’s national anthem rings out next and we aren’t too far away from kick-off at Los Angeles Stadium. But if you have a moment to dive deep into the difficulties the Iran team has faced in the buildup to the tournament, head here …
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Updated at 21.02 EDT
Iran players are lined up for the national anthem, right hand across their heart as they sing along and cheers fill Los Angeles Stadium.
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New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley has just explained that Matt Garbett has suffered World Cup heartbreak with a hamstring injury on the eve of the tournament. Logan Rogerson has taken his place in the squad.
double quotation markIt’s devastating news for Matt Garbett, he had a hamstring issue in training a couple of days ago, and when we went through all the medical stuff it turned out worse. It was a bad one …
We’ve got to rise to the occasion. We’ve to go out there and enjoy it. Give it everything and work together, work hard, work together and let’s have a great day.
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Australia defender Kai Trewin was the next to benefit from the battle between social media influencers before the World Cup started, but Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha did much of his own hard work with a stunning performance in the draw with Spain. From 50,000 followers before that game started, Vozinha now has more than 4.1 million people watching his Instagram account (including, it must be said, Guardian Sport).
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Updated at 20.52 EDT
New Zealand have enjoyed a much more settled buildup to the World Cup with the spotlight turning on to their unheralded Tim Payne rather than their participation at the tournament. The defender has become a social media sensation with more than 5.7 million followers on Instagram. Join the Tim Payne party or find out more about his newfound fame.
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The Iran players and team staff have had an unusually difficult and disrupted buildup to the World Cup. Iran captain and striker Mehdi Taremi has said the controversy and disruption surrounding their involvement at the World Cup undermines Fifa’s message of peace and conceded he felt the tension before arriving in Los Angeles on the eve of their opener, hours before a peace deal was announced. For the first time since the competition’s inception, a host nation has received a country with which it is at war.
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Alexander Abnos
Alexander Abnos, the Guardian’s senior sports editor in the US, has a close on the buildup in Los Angeles …
There were scattered protests outside Los Angeles Stadium, but nothing that, from my vantage points, seem to have been especially disruptive. On the west side of the stadium, the most vocal show of protest is a man with a megaphone chanting that the Iranian team represents IRGC terrorists, free Iran, and other slogans in Farsi. I understand there is a larger gathering on the east side, numbering about 200 people.
The Iranian team has enjoyed strong support from Mexicans in Tijuana since they were forced to move training base from Tucson given fears over US visa issues. That has carried over to Los Angeles Stadium – there are a huge number of fans in green Mexico jerseys here, almost all of them chanting support for Iran. In the northern end of the stadium, one group have even unfurled a medium-size banner reading “Te amamos Iran!” (We love you, Iran).
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Updated at 20.38 EDT
New Zealand XI
All Whites: 1 Max Crocombe (gk); 13 Liberato Cacace, 16 Finn Surman, 5 Michael Boxall, 2 Tim Payne; 6 Joe Bell, 8 Marko Stamenić; 11 Eli Just, 10 Sarpreet Singh, 20 Callum McCowatt; 9 Chris Wood (c).
Chris Wood will lead the line and the side into their third World Cup campaign. The XI is expected to settle into a more defensive 4-2-3-1 formation and rely on pace up front from Just, Singh and McCowatt. Crocombe is named goalkeeper ahead of Alex Paulsen.
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Updated at 20.39 EDT
Iran XI
Team Melli: 1 Alireza Beiranvand (gk); 23 Ramin Rezaeian, 19 Ali Nemati, 4 Shoja Khalilzadeh, 5 Milad Mohammadi, 6 Saeid Ezatolahi, 14 Saman Ghoddos, 17 Aria Yousefi; 9 Mehdi Taremi (c), 8 Mohammad Mohebi, 20 Shahriar Moghanloo.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei pulls no punches with an XI expected to lineup in a 4-4-2. Captain Mehdi Taremi is the focal point up front alongside Shahriar Moghanloo who has parachuted into the team.
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Updated at 20.23 EDT
There have now been five matches without defeat for Asian sides at this World Cup after the draw between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. Jonathan Wilson had already pondered even before the game in Miami whether these are early signs that the continent is a rising force in football, with Iran out to add to the evidence when they face New Zealand.
double quotation markAFC teams have in the past perhaps been guilty of lacking belief against Uefa sides, but no longer. Japan celebrated the equaliser as any side that has snatched a draw should, but the disappointment when they fell behind was clear. First and second in this group play second and first in the Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti group. It’s an indication of how far both Morocco and Japan have come that it’s not at all clear that it would be easier to face them than Brazil or the Netherlands.
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Saudi Arabia have held on against a flurry of late attacks from Uruguay for a 1-1 draw in the Group H game in Miami. Uruguay pressed hard but just could not find a way through the Saudi Arabia defence.
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Check complete: Surely one of the most bizarre stories to emerge from this World Cup so far – Australian video assistant referee Shaun Evans has been cleared by Fifa after after he was accused of making a hand gesture associated with white supremacists. An investigation found no evidence that Evans had breached Fifa’s ethics code and he issued a statement claiming he had been unaware of making the controversial hand sign:
double quotation markThe only explanation I can offer is that the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch and I was unaware I had done it at the time.
Matt Hughes’s full story is here:
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And there’s a grandstand finish on the cards over in Miami, where Uruguay have just equalised with 10 minutes to go in their Group H game, having laid siege to the Saudi Arabia goal.
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Updated at 19.50 EDT
In the other Group G game earlier today, Egypt went close to securing a first World Cup win, but were ultimately thwarted by Romelu Lukaku, who came off the bench in the 66th minute and immediately forced an equaliser. Afterwards, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia neatly summed up the veteran striker’s impact:
double quotation markFrankly, when you are the opponent and you see Romelu Lukaku entering the field, your confidence goes down and your anxiety increases.
Jeff Rueter was in Seattle to watch the game unfold:
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Team guide: New Zealand
By Maree Mahony
New Zealand, known as the All Whites, are back at the World Cup for just the third time, thanks to winning the Oceania region’s sole qualifying spot. Since their last World Cup in 2010 New Zealand have evolved from part-timers to professionals and there is belief they have the skillset and experience to make the knockout rounds for the first time.
It’s a tall order, though. New Zealand, at No 85 the event’s lowest-ranked qualifiers, are up against Belgium, who are ninth, Egypt, 29th, and Iran, 21st, in Group G. The renowned commentator Paul Ifill says the current squad is “miles better” than the one that went to South Africa, where they finished unbeaten with three draws. After the squad announcement the coach, Darren Bazeley, agreed the side were in a good place: “It’s a blend of exciting young talent and experienced players to maximise our chances of winning games and getting out of our group.”
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Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood, the captain, is one of two survivors of the last campaign and much will depend on his fitness. The striker was a contender for top scorer in the Premier League in the 2024-25 season, but a serious knee injury late last year sidelined him for several months.
“New Zealand will need to be able to defend without the ball and then work out how to hurt opponents when we get the ball back. A lot will depend on whether Wood is fully fit,” Ifill says.
Get the full low down on New Zealand …
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Team guide: Iran
By Behnam Jafarzadeh
Iran were one of the first teams to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup and, compared to previous campaigns, they had a relatively smooth path to the tournament. However, preparing the team for the competition has been anything but easy. Iran’s conflicts with the US and Israel threw their involvement at the World Cup into serious doubt – all three of their group games take place in the US – and Amir Ghalenoei, the manager, and his coaching staff have had to work hard to minimise disruption.
Nevertheless, in their two friendlies in March against Nigeria and Costa Rica, Iran showed that they have different plans in mind for the World Cup. In the first match against Nigeria, they lined up in a 3-6-1 formation – a setup Ghalenoei described as the team’s “defensive plan B”, likely designed for the group meeting with Belgium. In the second game against Costa Rica, Ghalenoei used a 4-4-2 formation, indicating that he intends to shift tactics depending on the opponent. The primary system remains 4-2-3-1, which Iran used in most of qualifying.
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Despite the problems and controversies surrounding the national team, who moved their World Cup base camp from the US to Mexico just weeks before the tournament, Ghalenoei still believes his side are capable of achieving something special. “We’ve had many problems recently, but the players tried their best and made sacrifices. They worked so hard [through qualification] and sacrificed a lot, so it is my job to thank them. They can do something epic in the World Cup. They can do it, they have the technical potential to make this a World Cup to remember.”
Find out more about the Iran football team behind the headlines …
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Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the World Cup match between Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium. This is one of the most highly anticipated games of the group stage even while featuring two sides that have never reached the knockouts at the tournament.
The conflict between Iran and the US-Israel has dominated the buildup to the game – and much of the tournament – with uncertainty over whether the Asian nation would even be permitted to play matches in a country with which it is at war. That’s before getting to the many disruptions that have affected the Iran player’s and team staff’s preparations, including ongoing issues over visas and entry to the US, and being based in Tijuana, Mexico, while all three of their group stage matches are fixtures north of the border.
Turning attention to matters on the pitch, Iran are playing at their seventh World Cup. But they are still to progress past the group stage – only Scotland have been to the global tournament more times and found the first round an insurmountable hurdle. While Iran have that history, as well as modern-day chaos and challenges to overcome, they have strong form behind them after breezing through qualifying with only one defeat in 16 matches, and ramping up their final preparations with three comfortable victories.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have largely flown under the radar and arrive as the lowest-ranked team at No 85. This is just their third appearance at the tournament after making their debut and suffering three defeats in 1982. They returned in 2010 and were the only side to leave South Africa undefeated after holding reigning champions Italy to a 1-1 draw in the group stage and also sharing the points with Slovakia and Paraguay.
But that record leaves New Zealand still searching for a first World Cup triumph. Darren Bazeley’s side won all five qualifying matches – while scoring 29 goals and conceding only once – to take full advantage of the Oceania conference being guaranteed a spot at this year’s tournament. Their form has dipped more in recent times, but with Belgium and Egypt the other sides making up Group G, this looks as good a chance as any for the All Whites to claim a breakthrough victory.
Kick-off is 6pm local or PDT/9pm EDT/2am BST/11am AEST. For those counting down from the lands of the competing nations, kick-off is 4.30am IRST/1pm NZST. I’ll be back shortly with the line-ups and team news. In the meantime, get in touch with any questions, thoughts and predictions. You can shoot me an email, or find me on Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!
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West Wilson is leaving Summer House after three seasons on the Bravo reality series.
The sports journalist and reality TV personality is not returning to the docuseries, a source close to production confirmed to Deadline. The series usually starts filming around the 4th of July weekend.
Wilson has been embroiled in a scandal after he hooked up with co-star Amanda Batula following her separation from fellow cast member Kyle Cooke. The drama around this new relationship also affected co-star Ciara Miller, who Wilson dated in the past.
Miller and Wilson were being flirty on the latest season of Summer House and were working on reconstructing their friendship after they stopped dating.
The fallout from Miller being betrayed by her ex-boyfriend, Wilson, and her best friend, Batula, has been brutal. Wilson has seemingly had difficulty with the discourse surrounding his betrayal. The Summer House star recently advocated on his podcast, Show Me Something, for the Knicks to lose Game 5 of the NBA championship to force a Game 6, which would then air on Tuesday night. That same night, Bravo is airing Summer House: The Aftermath, a bonus episode in which the affected cast members have deep conversations about their lives following the scandal. Wilson thought that with people focused on the basketball game, fewer would tune in to the Bravo reality series.
Wilson joined Summer House in Season 8 and quickly became a fan favorite for his fun vibes and easygoing personality. The aura Wilson brought to the house perfectly aligned with the show’s premise, a group of young adults partying in the Hamptons every weekend for the summer.
It was his personality that attracted Miller to Wilson, and they both quickly became a thing with fans shipping their relationship. Their relationship didn’t blossom into something more, but a New York Times article revealed cracks in Wilson’s carefully curated persona up to that point. Wilson was unfiltered in that interview, revealing why his relationship with Miller didn’t progress, something he had shied away from saying on the show. When Miller took him to task on the next season of the reality series, Wilson completely shut off and did not defend himself or address his co-star in a proper manner.
The relationship between Miller and Wilson grew awkward, and viewers could see the coldness throughout the summer. In Season 10, Miller started warming up to Wilson again; their friendship began to blossom, and their flirtatious interactions began. The season ended with Miller and Wilson sharing kisses by the pool. Miller and Wilson would go on to make an appearance together on the In the City spinoff in a scene with Batula.
However, in 2026, there were rumors that Wilson and Batula had hooked up, and although the pair initially denied it and tried to downplay it, they came clean and admitted to their relationship. This shook the Bravoverse to its core, and it has never been the same since. The Summer House Season 10 reunion left many unanswered questions about when their relationship actually started and if there was any overlap with Wilson being flirty with Miller and getting close to Batula. Either way, Wilson once again was relatively silent throughout the three-part reunion and allowed Batula to fend for their relationship alone.

People can’t get enough of the New York Knicks in the wake of the team’s first championship in 53 years.
According to Larry Holder of The Athletic, “Knicks championship gear has become the top seller across all sports within the first 24 hours of a title in Fanatics history, the company said, breaking a record previously held by the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles just after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. The Knicks are also on pace to become the top championship team for total sales in Fanatics history, surpassing the sales record set when the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in 2016. Sales of Knicks championship gear has already more than doubled that of Fanatics’ previous best-selling NBA Finals champion: the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.”
Here’s a look at the line for the NBA Store in New York City, just to drive home the merchandise frenzy after the Knicks finally ended their title drought:
The longest title drought in the NBA belongs to the Sacramento Kings, at 75 years, followed by the Atlanta Hawks (68 years) and Phoenix Suns (57 years).
In the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals have a title drought stretching back 78 years, while the MLB’s Cleveland Guardians have gone 77 years without winning a championship. In the NHL, one of hockey’s most storied franchises—the Toronto Maple Leafs—have the longest active title drought at 59 years.
You can bet those teams would see a massive spike in merchandising sales if, or when, they finally break their drought. Now add New York City’s population to the mix and you have the recipe for a merchandising craze.
Fanatics was quick to capitalize, releasing “more than 300 championship-branded products,” per Holder. Those included “championship T-shirts and hats, including the Nike locker room T-shirt ($45) worn by the players. Some of the more unique items being sold include a Knicks NBA Finals champion Swarovski crystal leather jacket for $10,000 and a Seinfeld-inspired ‘Summer of the Knicks’ T-shirt featuring an image of a shirtless George Costanza wearing Knicks shorts for $42.”