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Brendan Sorsby will not play in the NFL or the NCAA this season.
In a letter directed to Sorsby, the NFLs general counsel informed the quarterback that the league will not host a 2026 supplemental draft.
Under our Collective Bargaining Agreement, the League retains sole discretion to determine whether it is appropriate to conduct a Supplemental Draft in any given year, Larry Ferazani wrote, according to ESPNs Adam Schefter.
The League has not conducted such a draft for several years and, prior to your submission, the League had no plans to do so this year, as no other player has sought entry.
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.
The issues presented by your Petition are too significant, and too closely tied to the Leagues core integrity interests to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented." Sorsby announced in April that was entering treatment for a gambling addiction.
He said that he had wagered at least $90,000 on more than 9,000 bets during his college career including wagers on Indiana football while he was a member of the team.
The NCAA deemed Sorsby permanently ineligible due to his gambling.
Earlier this month, though, a judge in Texas granted an injunction for the 2026 college football season that would have allowed Sorsby to play for Texas Tech.
Big 12 schools across the country considered not playing Texas Tech because of the injunction.
Sorsby dropped his lawsuit last week and announced his intention to to hold a pro day in mid-July and enter the NFLs supplemental draft.
Read the complete letter from the League to Sorsby below: Dear Mr.
Sorsby: We are in receipt of your Petition for Special Eligibility, dated June 16, 2026 (Petition).
As announced earlier today, the League has elected not to conduct a Supplemental Draft this year.
Under our Collective Bargaining Agreement, the League retains sole discretion to determine whether it is appropriate to conduct a Supplemental Draft in any given year.
The League has not conducted such a draft for several years and, prior to your submission, the League had no plans to do so this year, as no other player has sought entry.
Your Petitionfiled three business days before the deadline, without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctionsdoes not provide a basis for the League to alter those plans.
The issues presented by your Petition are too significant, and too closely tied to the Leagues core integrity interests, to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented.
The sole reasons identified in your Petition for seeking entry into the Supplemental Draft are that you have been declared ineligible by the NCAA, have exhausted all of [your] avenues to continue in the NCAA, and want to now play in the NFL.
The Petition provides no information regarding the basis for, or timing of, the NCAAs decision.
Public sources, however, indicate that in May 2026 the NCAA issued a determination declaring you permanently ineligible from participation in college athletics, based on a sustained pattern of improper gambling activity during your collegiate career at three different universities.
The League does not have the complete record of the NCAAs investigation, and you did not provide any such materials with your Petition.
Available information nonetheless indicates that, over the course of your collegiate career, you knowingly engaged in repeated and significant violations of NCAA rules designed to preserve the integrity of athletic competition.
Reported conduct includes placing wagers on your own team and teammates and, to avoid detection, establishing or funding accounts in the names of intermediaries who placed bets on your behalf.
There are also reports that you may have violated state criminal law.
Your Petition does not address these matters.
Nor does it demonstrate accountability for your conduct or indicate whether, or how, you would adhere to the Leagues rules and policies governing the integrity of competition.
Instead, even after receiving notice of the NCAAs decision rescinding your college eligibility in May, you sought to avoid the consequences of that determination through litigation rather than accepting responsibility for your actions, and you pursued entry into the NFL only after abandoning those efforts.
As Commissioner Goodell has emphasized, participation in the NFL is a privilege that carries with it significant responsibilities, including accountability.
By all accounts, you are a talented player with the potential for future success.
We encourage you to focus on preparing for possible entry into the NFL through the 2027 NFL Annual Draft.
Sincerely, Lawrence P.
Ferazani, Jr.