Unless QB Brendan Sorsby “successfully sues his way into the NFL,” it “doesn’t appear that he has a path toward playing the sport this season” after the league yesterday elected not to hold a supplemental draft, according to Tim Benz of TRIBLIVE.com. Sorsby “may have to wait until next April” to see if any NFL GMs “want to take a shot on him” in the conventional 2027 draft. Benz wrote the NFL “wanted no part of him in it,” and the league “simply decided it was not going to conduct it.” Benz: “If the NFL wanted Sorsby in the league, it would hold the draft, even if the event existed for only one guy.” This is not a “matter of logistics; it’s a matter of blocking the former college quarterback from entering the league” because NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “wants to keep him out of it as long as possible.” Benz: “Sorsby is getting harsh punishment, and he deserves it. Don’t bet on the sport you play, especially not on (or against) the team you play for. It’s simple” (TRIBLIVE.COM, 6/24).
MAKING IT CLEAR: ESPN.com’s Dan Wetzel wrote the NFL effectively denying Sorsby’s attempt to “skirt NCAA punishment for gambling violations” by jumping immediately to the pros makes it “clear to Sorsby, and every college athlete tempted … that there is no leniency when it comes to competitive integrity issues.” College athletics is an “opportunity,” and with that comes an “obligation to uphold the basic tenets of the operation -- in this case, not hitting some gambling app that makes the public question the validity of the action.” And if “you get caught, you can’t just slither off to the NFL.” Wetzel wrote it is a “fair tradeoff” and a “necessary tradeoff.” And it is a “tradeoff the NFL is making Sorsby adhere to by telling him he can’t enter the league until the 2027 draft.” Wetzel: “That should serve as a powerful reminder to every NFL prospect (or those eyeing the NBA, NHL, MLB and so on) that sports wagering can bring significant repercussions” (ESPN.com, 6/23).
INTERESTING TIMING: YAHOO SPORTS’ Jeff Eisenberg wrote there is “little justification for the NFL’s critique of the timing of Sorsby’s petition.” After all, he filed it ahead of the league’s deadline. Citing that as a reason to deny Sorsby’s request “feels like an excuse.” The rest of the NFL’s “rationale for denying entry to Sorsby? That’s more than fair.” Eisenberg: “Why should the NFL roll out the red carpet for a known gambler who bet on his own team, didn’t acknowledge it until NCAA investigators began poking around and then tried to sue his way out of a punishment instead of taking accountability for his actions? Why should the NFL take the public relations hit of having one of its teams surrender a future second- or third-round draft pick to take a chance on this talented but tarnished quarterback?” (YAHOO SPORTS, 6/23).
STANDING ON BUSINESS: SI’s Conor Orr wrote the NFL “made a clairvoyant decision that prevented it from looking incredibly flat-footed months or years later regarding its own integrity.” The decision to cut off the Sorsby spectacle before it turned into one “was brilliant, protective and absolutely necessary.” Orr: “By disallowing Sorsby from entering the draft, the NFL buys itself what it needs most regarding his specific issue: time to set a rock-solid precedent in terms of a punishment that can withstand the near future. Sorsby will not be the last high-profile collegiate player to fall down the purposely addictive rabbit hole of sports betting” (SI, 6/23).
