ESPN’s Paul Finebaum says the Brendan Sorsby investigation is the “tip of an iceberg” related to college sports gambling.
Sorsby, who transferred from Cincinnati to become the Texas Tech Red Raiders’ quarterback, took a leave of absence Monday, April 27, to enter treatment for a gambling addiction.
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MORE: Brendan Sorsby taking indefinite leave of absence from Texas Tech
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the NCAA is investigating Sorsby’s history of betting. That included a report he wagered on Indiana games in 2022 when he was a redshirt freshman.
“This is a story that a lot of people have been waiting to happen,” Finebaum said during an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Tuesday. “This could be an epidemic scale of a scandal.”
According to Finebaum, sports handicapping expert Danny Sheridan’s research revealed 75 percent of male college students and 25 percent of college athletes bet on sports.
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Finebaum criticized a 2025 NCAA rule change that would have allowed college athletes and staff members to gamble on professional sports. The change was later rescinded.
“Here’s the most interesting part,” Finebaum said. “The NCAA has been asking for this. About a year ago, the NCAA agreed on legislation that allowed college athletes to bet on professional sports. A number of people, including the SEC commissioner, Greg Sankey, intervened. They went to the president, Charlie Baker, and said, ‘We have to rescind this.’ They did, but they opened the door for all of this.”
Sorsby joined Texas Tech in the offseason as ESPN’s No. 1 transfer. He was set to make $5 million this season, per ESPN.
The Sorsby saga is far from the first college sports gambling scandal. In May 2023, Alabama fired head coach Brad Bohannon for providing insider information on a betting app. A college basketball point-shaving scandal uncovered earlier this year involved 39 players.
Finebaum fears there will be more to come.
“I believe we’ll be here many more times talking about this issue,” he said.
