Brendan Sorsby stuck as NFL announces NO Supplemental Draft in 2026

Brendan Sorsby’s attempts to play football in 2026 have hit another snag with the NFL announcing on Tuesday that it will not conduct a supplemental draft this year, shutting another door in the quarterback’s face.

The NFL has the right to either allow for a supplemental draft or deny it, which is granted to them by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, this is typically used when there are no players attempting to enter the league, obviously. Sorsby’s camp filed to enter the draft with the justification that he has been denied NCAA eligibility, which the league rejected in a lengthy letter. In it, the NFL addressed the elephant in the room, which is the real reason why Sorsby is being denied entry.

Available information nonetheless indicates that, over the course of your collegiate career, you knowingly engaged in repeated and significant violations of NCAA rules designed to preserve the integrity of athletic competition. Reported conduct includes placing wagers on your own team and teammates and, to avoid detection, establishing or funding accounts in the names of intermediaries who placed bets on your behalf.

The letter went on to essentially berate Sorsby for filing a lawsuit against the NCAA, saying, “you sought to avoid the consequences of that determination through litigation rather than accepting responsibility for your actions.” Meaning the official league stance is “accept whatever penalty is handed down, and do not challenge it.”

Ultimately, the NFL is trying to avoid an uncomfortable discussion about gambling. They will present this as an effort to protect the sanctity of the game, but Sorsby acknowledged he made a mistake in betting on his team, he attended rehab for a gambling addiction, and paid a massive price by being denied the ability to play for Texas Tech, which could have made him a first-round draft pick in 2027. Losing out on millions of dollars is the punishment, but the league isn’t ready to be confronted on how it decries gambling out of one side of its mouth, while gleefully embracing the revenue it gives the league out of the other.

Other notable players who entered the supplemental draft despite having off-field concerns are:

• Terrell Pryor (2011): Under NCAA investigation for receiving improper benefits
• Josh Gordon (2012): Dismissed from Baylor for repeated marijuana citations
• Isaiah Battle (2015): Left Clemson due to personal reasons, marijuana and speeding citation
• Jalen Thompson (2019): Declared ineligible for purchasing banned supplements

So this isn’t really about “not accepting his actions,” because multiple players ran from college ball to the NFL Supplemental Draft and were welcomed in. This is specifically a Sorsby issue, because the league doesn’t know how to handle gambling as a potential problem in the NFL.

It’s unclear what Sorsby does next. He could try to take legal action against the NFL in an attempt to become a free agent, or potentially go to the CFL for a season in an attempt to establish himself ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft, where he would likely be a late-round pick at this point.