CFL bars QB Brendan Sorsby following NCAA gambling allegations

Photo: Cincinnati Athletics

The Canadian Football League will not allow Brendan Sorsby to sign a contract with any of its nine teams, nor can a team claim his exclusive rights.

“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL,” the league wrote in a statement to 3DownNation.

“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.”

The native of Denton, Texas sought treatment for gambling addiction in April after it was discovered he’d placed thousands of wagers on a variety of professional and collegiate sports in recent years.

The 22-year-old reportedly placed at least 40 bets on Indiana Hoosiers football games during his redshirt season with the team in 2022. He has since claimed he only bet on Indiana to succeed, and that this activity ceased before he dressed for his first game.

There is no evidence that Sorsby placed bets on his own team in subsequent seasons with the Hoosiers and Cincinnati Bearcats, though he continued gambling on other sports during those years.

The NCAA has a strict policy against student-athletes and staff betting on any sport in which the organization sponsors a championship, resulting in Sorsby being ruled ineligible last month. His request for reinstatement was subsequently denied, as was an appeal by Texas Tech, the school to which he transferred in January.

It momentarily appeared as though Sorsby might still play in 2026 when a Texas judge granted the quarterback a temporary injunction against the NCAA earlier this month. However, Sorsby and Texas Tech agreed to part ways one week later, ending his collegiate career.

Sorsby recently applied for the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft, though the league has since denied his application, citing a lack of “supporting information or documentation” and significant issues “too closely tied to the league’s core integrity interests.”

The six-foot-three, 235-pound passer was named second-team All-Big 12 at Cincinnati in 2025. He went 7-5 as a starter, completing 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions, and rushing 100 times for 580 yards and nine scores.

Over four collegiate seasons at Indiana and Cincinnati, Sorsby went 13-18 as a starter, completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 7,208 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions, and rushed 320 times for 1,295 yards and 22 scores.

John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.