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UCF athletic director joins growing list against Brendan Sorsby ruling

The fallout continues.

It’s stretching across most every sport, every conference and every program. And all of those constituencies seem to have reached the same conclusion: This isn’t good.

On June 8, Lubbock judge Ken Curry granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction against the NCAA, allowing him to play in 2026.

The NCAA previously deemed Sorsby permanently ineligible after he admitted to placing thousands of bets during his college career. Those included some on his own team while redshirting at Indiana in 2022.

On June 9, UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir joined the voices against Curry’s decision.

“The integrity of competition must remain non-negotiable,” Mohajir said in a statement. “Gambling on sports, particularly those in which a student-athlete participates, strikes at the heart of what makes college athletics credible. Institutions cannot control court rulings, legal strategies or judicial outcomes. What we can control is playing time and the standards we set for participation in our programs.

“At UCF, if a student-athlete were found to have engaged in sports gambling that violated NCAA rules, that individual would be deemed ineligible for competition by UCF. We would still continue to support that student-athlete’s mental health and academic pursuits, but participation on the field would be out of the question, and I would make a strong recommendation to our president with that action. Rules only have value when they are enforced consistently and carry meaningful consequences. Our student-athletes, coaches, fans and institutions deserve a system that protects the integrity of the game.”

Brendan Sorsby (2) helped Cincinnati to a 20-11 victory over UCF last October. He transferred to Texas Tech in January.

Mohajir and the rest of the Big 12 athletic directors held a call with conference commissioner Brett Yormark earlier in the afternoon.

Afterward, Yormark released his own statement.

“We had a thoughtful and productive conversation with our athletics directors today as we continue to work through the broader implications of this situation,” he said. “Many of our athletics directors voiced their opinions. We will continue to have open and honest dialogue amongst the group, and until there is something to report, these conversations will remain within the conference.”

On June 11, those talks will expand when the Big 12 executive board meets with Yormark. The Big 12’s board of presidents and chancellors is expected to get together early next week, according to an ESPN report.

Programs in other leagues have taken matters into their own hands. Administrators at Nebraska in the Big Ten and Georgia in the SEC have instructed their coaches not to schedule any future matchups with Texas Tech.

The NCAA filed an appeal of the injunction Monday. It followed with its own criticism.

“The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby’s case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports. The NCAA is committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one’s own sport.”

Sorsby reportedly wagered more than $90,000 across four years.

After two seasons at Indiana, he thrived for two more at Cincinnati, throwing for 27 touchdowns and rushing for nine last fall. The Red Raiders scooped him up as one of the top-rated players in the transfer portal.

As part of Curry’s determination, Sorsby will sit out the first two games of 2026 — non-conference contests against Abilene Christian and Oregon State. He can return to the field for Texas Tech’s Big 12 opener against Houston on Sept. 18.

“I’m very grateful for the endless support I have received throughout this entire process,” Sorsby said. “I am also grateful for the chance to rejoin my teammates. This opportunity comes with the responsibility to remain focused on my personal growth, the ability to learn from this experience, and to be able to use my situation to help others going forward.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF's Terry Mohajir gives statement criticizing Brendan Sorsby ruling

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