Brendan Sorsby: "I have a lot of work ahead of me"

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has completed in-patient treatment for a gambling addiction. He’s now hoping to play college football in 2026 — even if the NCAA doesn’t want to let him do it.

Sorsby posted a statement on Instagram regarding his recent challenges.

“Last Friday,” Sorsby wrote, “I completed a residential treatment program for a diagnosed gambling addiction and anxiety disorder. While I accept responsibility for my behavior and know that I have a lot of work ahead of me, for the first time in many years I feel more free and no longer fully at the mercy of my addiction. I am endlessly grateful to all who have supported me over the last several weeks, especially my family, friends, the experts and staff at Algamus Recovery Services, and the entire Texas Tech community.

“This is the start of a new beginning that I feel fortunate to have. I know recovery from addiction is a long road and I hope that my experience has in even some small way reduced the stigma associated with speaking up about addiction and getting help. I am committed to my ongoing treatment and being a resource to many other student-athletes and other kids out there dealing with gambling addiction and other mental health issues.

“With the support of my coaches, teammates and the university, I’m looking forward to returning to campus in Lubbock. If I’m blessed and fortunate enough to have the opportunity to continue my college career at Texas Tech, I know I will get the support I need, including through the school’s Center for Students in Addiction Recovery. I am deeply sorry to everyone I’ve disappointed and am committed to the hard and necessary work ahead.”

Sorsby is the highest-profile example of a major-college athlete who has develop a gambling addiction after growing up in the age of widespread legalized gambling, with ubiquitous advertising that lures people to make bets under the false impression that they can win.

They can’t. Not over the long haul. If that was possible, the sportsbooks wouldn’t be making so much money — or throwing so much of it around to attract more people to join the parade of losers and the epidemic of those who develop an addiction.

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