Paul Finebaum calls Brendan Sorsby gambling situation 'tip of an iceberg' in college sports

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said this is just the beginning amid the news of Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby taking a leave of absence. The Cincinnati transfer was a hot commodity in the transfer portal, but the signal caller is stepping away from football indefinitely while he gets treated for a gambling addiction.

This is the stark reality of college athletics these days, per Finebaum. The long time ESPN commentator sees the writing on the wall and sports betting is the toothpaste that cannot be put back in the tube.

Sorsby is just the latest betting scandal in college athletics, as Finebaum alluded to former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon. But we might not be done with these stories yet.

“I believe this is the tip of an iceberg,” Finebaum said on Get Up. “This is a story that a lot of people have been waiting to happen. It was a couple years ago the head baseball coach at Alabama bet on games. He was fired immediately. The story went away. But this is such a big story. I called Danny Sheridan last night, the well known sports handicapping expert. He told me 75% of male college students bet on sports and more than 25%, according to his research, are athletes. This could be epidemic (proportions) and an epidemic scale of a scandal. 

“And here’s the most interesting part, 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. As we all know, where sports gambling is, and now it has crept into college sports and unfortunately, I believe we’ll be here many more times talking about this issue.”

On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed that Sorsby placed bets on Indiana while on the Hoosiers’ roster in 2022. This could jeopardize his eligibility, as noted below.

NCAA guidelines from 2023 on sports betting say: “Student-athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports. This would also apply to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools.”

Nakos also reported Cincinnati, will not comment on the situation regarding its former quarterback. Sorsby left Cincinnati this winter.

As far as some of the bets are concerned, Sorsby attended Cincinnati Reds games on repeated occasions, and placed live wagers on balls and strikes, sources tell Pete Nakos. The bets ranged anywhere from $2.50 to less than $1 per pitch.

Sorsby’s gambling has not drawn any attention from law enforcement nor has it been linked to any attempting influencing of the outcome of games. It is reportedly just a steady flurry of small bets over a period of time. As of now, there is no timetable on Sorsby’s treatment nor any additional information on his potential return to the Texas Tech football program.