NFL sets supplemental draft deadline for Brendan Sorsby amid gambling investigation

The NFL has informed Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby that the date to file for the NFL supplemental draft is June 22, a source familiar with the situation tells CBS Sports.

Currently in a treatment program for a gambling addiction, the former five-star quarterback could see his NCAA eligibility revoked before playing a snap for Texas Tech after transferring from Cincinnati. Sorsby placed thousands of online bets, including some on Indiana football when he was a redshirt player there.

The gambling issues have sparked an NCAA investigation that could lead to a permanent loss of eligibility for Sorsby. That's where the NFL's seldom-used supplemental draft comes into play, and Sorsby and his legal team now have a deadline by which he must apply in order to potentially be selected in the July draft.

Sorsby included the date in an injunction filed Monday. He is seeking a decision from the NCAA by June 15 so that he can determine his next moves.

No player has been selected via the NFL supplemental draft since 2019. It is used only for instances where players who were not eligible for the typical April draft then lose their collegiate eligibility and request to enter the summer draft.

Teams picking players in a supplemental draft wind up giving up future draft picks. So a team would be giving up a 2027 draft pick -- in what is considered a banner class -- in order to select Sorsby. Next year's draft is so highly touted that only the Eagles dealt a top-three-round pick during draft weekend, and that was to secure Pro Bowl pass rusher Jonathan Greenard.

Sorsby offers a unique case. A first-round pick hasn't been used since 1992, and the last time a second-round pick was used, it was in 2012 for Josh Gordon. Sorsby's talent has led many evaluators to tell CBS Sports he is worthy of at least a second-round selection.

But several sources have also wondered if the NFL wants to be so quick to open its doors to a player embroiled in a gambling investigation. One league source called it "the third rail." The league has successfully avoided the sort of gambling controversies that we've seen in the NBA and MLB. Not since 2023 has the NFL issued any known punishment to a player or coach for violating the gambling policy.

Before Sorsby can even be drafted this summer, the NCAA first has to rule him ineligible. Earlier this month, Sorsby retained noted labor attorney Jeffrey Kessler. According to Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports, Sorsby hopes to get a negotiated settlement with the NCAA that would allow him to play this upcoming season. Failing such a settlement, Marcello reported Kessler would be prepared to take the NCAA to court, which led to the injunction filed Monday.

That is why the June 22 date is significant. If Sorsby wins a settlement, he will play in college this upcoming season. But if his eligibility is not determined by that date, he cannot apply for the supplemental draft.

Even if he is ruled ineligible by June 22, that does not mean he would automatically be eligible for the supplemental draft. The NFL has to approve his application. But there could be labor issues with denying him access to the supplemental draft, especially since barring Sorsby for violating gambling rules before he was even a league member could create the kind of slippery slope Kessler could exploit in court.

The league has already set a precedent of imposing NCAA discipline on players who enter the league via the supplemental draft. When Terrelle Pryor was a third-round pick in 2011, he had to serve a five-game suspension from the Ohio State "scandal" that today would have been a fraction of his own legal NIL money.

Being eligible for the supplemental draft would just be one part of this for teams interested in Sorsby. They would have to investigate the extent of his gambling and see if it aligns with what has been reported so far. His treatment for his gambling addiction will also be inspected. If the NFL plans to honor an NCAA punishment like it did in 2011, the length of that suspension would impact how high he would be drafted.

There are plenty of questions that cannot yet be answered. But Sorsby has until June 22 to determine whether he has a chance to play in the NFL in 2026.