Posted on: June 26, 2026, 09:00h.
Last updated on: June 26, 2026, 09:11h.
- The CFL barred Brendan Sorsby, citing gambling allegations and the need to protect competitive integrity
- Sorsby lost NCAA eligibility after admitting to sports betting, including wagers involving his own team while playing at Indiana
- The CFL decision follows the NFL’s cancellation of the 2026 Supplemental Draft, further narrowing Sorsby’s path back to professional football
The Canadian Football League (CFL) has announced it will not allow Brendan Sorsby to join the league, the latest setback for the embattled college quarterback embroiled in a gambling controversy.
CFL Cites League Integrity in Sorsby Decision
“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL,” the league said in a prepared statement, sent to Casino.org.
The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning. At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him, and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list.”
Sorsby, 22, a highly touted quarterback, has admitted to placing thousands of sports bets during a college career that has taken him to Indiana University, University of Cincinnati, and Texas Tech, including admitting to having made bets on his own team while a member of the Indiana Hoosiers from 2022-23.
Betting Violations Ended His Texas Tech Career
NCAA rules ban student-athletes from wagering on any NCAA-sponsored sport, whether collegiate or professional. Betting on their own team, or another team from the same school, carries a penalty of permanent ineligibility.
The NCAA declared Sorsby permanently ineligible, preventing him from playing for the Texas Tech Red Raiders after he transferred there on a reported $5 million NIL deal in December.
Sorsby then went to court, and on June 8 a U.S. District court judge granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA allowing Sorsby to resume his college football career.
Big 12 Pressure Forced Sorsby Away From College Path
However, teams in the Big 12 Conference reacted aggressively and filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration that it would enforce its own bylaws and sanction Texas Tech if the school started Sorsby.
Sorsby then withdrew his lawsuit against the NCAA and instead said he would enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, hoping to get chosen by an NFL team.
The NFL Supplemental Draft is a special draft held during the summer that allows eligible college players who experienced a change in circumstances after the regular draft declaration deadline – such as losing NCAA eligibility or leaving school unexpectedly – to enter the NFL.
NFL, CFL Doors Close After Supplemental Draft Setback
On June 23 the NFL announced it would not be holding the Supplemental Draft this year. General Counsel of the NFL Management Council, Lawrence Ferazani, in a letter to Sorsby, told him his situation brought competitive integrity issues, while inviting him to prepare for possible entry into the NFL through the 2027 NFL Draft.
The letter was critical of Sorsby, saying his petition to enter the Supplemental Draft didn’t demonstrate accountability for his conduct, or indicate whether Sorsby would adhere to the NFL’s rules governing integrity of competition.
That made the CFL a possibility, one of the last avenues for Sorsby to play football this year. Sorsby hadn’t committed to play in Canada.
The CFL, with nine teams, across the country, is a pro football league that’s been around 68 years, and has a reputation in part for bringing in players with baggage or failed NFL paths. Johnny Manziel is an obvious, recent example, a former Heisman Trophy winner with off-field issues who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2018.
The CFL season began June 4, and runs until the Grey Cup game on November 15.
