Dec 6, 2009; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ben Leber against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Vikings 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings’ upcoming quarterback competition at training camp will evidently be the real thing. Folks are lining up to proclaim it as such, and Ben Leber is no different.
The Vikings wanted competition everywhere. Quarterback now owns the spotlight.
Leber explained the stakes this week, paving the way for quite the showdown in Eagan.
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Minnesota’s QB Room Has a Real Summer Showdown
Who you got? J.J. McCarthy or Kyler Murray?
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray participates in minicamp drills on Jun. 11, 2019, at the team’s training facility in Tempe. Murray entered the NFL with enormous expectations as the top overall pick and later developed into one of football’s more dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks because of his mobility, arm talent, and off-script playmaking ability. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.
Leber on the QB Battle
Leber hopped on KFAN this week and said, “I don’t think you can really go wrong either way; I think there’s going to be some shock and awe from people who can’t believe it if McCarthy wins the job. I’m sure some will think there’s politics behind it, but I honestly believe it’s all business.”
“I don’t think they’re trying to placate anyone or make a political decision. I think they simply want to create as much competition as possible at every position, and quarterback is no exception.”
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Minnesota signed Murray in March for $1.3 million after the Arizona Cardinals cut ties.
Leber continued, “May the best man win. There’s too much riding on the season; there’s too much talent on this team.”
“This is not a rebuilding year where you say, ‘Oh, we’re just going to get cute, win a few games and be competitive.’ There’s no reason why we can’t compete to win this division. None at all. This is not just a wasted year. This is a year where, ‘Let’s go for it.’”
The Daniel Jones Comparison
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Leber also likened Murray’s 2026 situation to Daniel Jones in 2025, explaining, “It could very well be a Daniel Jones situation where he walked into the Colts, and they said, ‘Hey, we can’t guarantee anything, but we’ll give you a one-year rental deal, and all you have to do is get into a competition with Anthony Richardson. It’s up to you whether you think you can beat out Anthony Richardson.’”
“Then Daniel Jones was like, ‘Yeah, I see the writing on the wall here. I know that I can beat this guy out. ‘Maybe just situationally and also from a personal confidence standpoint.”
Leber added, “Kyler and his agent are not blind. They saw what happened with J.J. McCarthy last year, and they know the Vikings are looking for other services to bolster that room and bring in true competition.”
Betting Money on Murray?
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Murray arrives with a huge chip on his shoulder, a factor that shouldn’t be underestimated.
His release by Arizona after seven seasons is a bitter pill for any quarterback, particularly one with Murray’s personality and swagger. Though the Cardinals never secured a playoff victory with him and ultimately moved on, Minnesota now gains a highly motivated quarterback. He brings a documented track record of production and an athletic prowess capable of singlehandedly altering games.
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy shares a postgame moment with Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil on Dec. 7, 2025, after a matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. McCarthy’s first season as Minnesota’s starter featured flashes of high-end arm talent, leadership traits, and growing confidence while navigating increased expectations around the franchise quarterback role. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
And he’s not a player who’s starting at square one. Projecting over a 17-game season, Murray routinely delivers approximately 4,000 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and 600 rushing yards. These are star-level numbers for a dual-threat quarterback, even if Arizona struggled to translate them into playoff success.
From a pure talent perspective, the comparison is straightforward. Murray surpasses McCarthy in speed, accuracy, experience, and arm strength. However, McCarthy’s five-inch height advantage is a notable factor. Both men have injury concerns.
Remember Murray’s Injury Resume
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While Murray may be the frontrunner to earn the QB1 job at training camp, one must remember his durability. Since 2019, Murray has missed 26% of all starts due to injury, and if that pattern holds in his first season with the Vikings, McCarthy will get one big shot to strut his stuff, assuming he starts the season as the QB2.
The Vikings drafted McCarthy in 2024 to be their future quarterback, plain and simple. The commitment was evident when they passed on established veterans like Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers, and the aforementioned Jones during the 2025 offseason in favor of McCarthy.
Former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber watches from the sideline on Oct. 5, 2025, during an NFL International Series game against the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Leber has remained connected to the organization after retirement, frequently appearing in Vikings media coverage and offering analysis on Minnesota’s roster and outlook. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
At just 23 years old (Murray, by comparison, will turn 29 this summer), McCarthy has significant room for growth. If the Vikings’ original plan unfolds as hoped, he will arrive at training camp with sharper mechanics, improved command, greater maturity, and the same magnetic locker room presence that inspired belief in him last year.
McCarthy has already shown flashes of his potential. In college, he executed throws that few quarterbacks can make, and his teammates visibly rallied around his energy. His arm talent, leadership, and drive are undeniable.
Now, the Vikings simply await the arrival of the complete package. That could happen if Murray succumbs to an injury.
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Perhaps Leber is right that Minnesota has the best of both worlds.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker
Jesse Rodriguez became a three-division world champion on Saturday when he halted Antonio Vargas inside six rounds, but a further move up to face pound-for-pound rival Naoya Inoue may be stalled.
Following Inoue’s latest defence of the undisputed super-bantamweight world titles against Junto Nakatani last month, Rodriguez has been the name that he has been linked to with many reports suggesting it is in the works to take place next.
‘Bam’ vacated his unified super-flyweight world titles and, at the weekend, made his bantamweight debut, claiming Vargas’ WBA title via sixth-round knockout. Despite the statement win, many feel that the move up in size was noticeable and took its toll.
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Speaking on the DAZN broadcast, his trainer Robert Garcia confirmed that he wants Rodriguez to ‘pace himself’ and have one more fight at bantamweight before moving up to 122lbs and challenging for Inoue’s throne.
“After the fight, he did tell me, ‘Listen, I did feel the strength’, he is a bigger guy so why would we go straight into another division which is going to make a big difference. We have got to pace ourselves.”
“I have no doubt that he is going to go out there and perform against Inoue and that he is going to beat Inoue. But, I need that one more fight before that.”
When discussing possible bantamweight opponents, Garcia then picked WBO champion Christian Medina over WBC ruler and brother of ‘The Monster’, Takuma Inoue.
“Me personally, I would prefer Medina because he is a very strong fighter and he is going to give us a test.”
Whilst Rodriguez is eyeing up unifications, he has also been ordered to take on WBA ‘champion-in-recess’, Seiya Tsutsumi, and will be stripped of the WBA title if he fails to face him within six months of Saturday’s win.
A huge return of a former United States Champion happened much earlier than expected, and the star made a career-changing offer to Je’Von Evans. This, however, was rejected.
This week on RAW, Je’Von Evans was out and wanted to make his next moves. He was immediately cut off by Logan Paul, who recently underwent surgery to fix an issue with his triceps. However, he shockingly returned on the June 15 episode of RAW, wearing a brace, of course. His arm was completely covered, and he asked fans and Je’Von if they were surprised at his return. Nobody seemed particularly happy about it, although it was quite surprising because nobody expected to see him until the latter part of this year. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t appear anyway – it simply means he can’t compete.
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Thanks for the submission!
Logan Paul and Austin Theory entered the ring and offered Je’Von Evans a spot in The Vision. When Evans thoroughly rejected them, they both told him that it wasn’t a request, it was a mandate. Evans still rejected this, leading to a match against Austin Theory.
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There was no doubt that joining The Vision would have been a career-changing move for the young OG. However, he could also argue that he doesn’t need The Vision to alter the course of his career. Evans is one of WWE‘s hottest young prospects and is still in his early 20s. It’s not often you see superstars this young getting a shot on the main roster.
The Vision might end up having more success with female superstar Maxxine Dupri. For a few weeks now, Dupri has been engaged in and invested in conversations with Austin Theory backstage, and all signs point to her potentially leaving The Alpha Academy to join The Vision. Evans paid the price during his match against Theory.
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After a seven-day battle that spanned multiple courtrooms, Brendan Sorsby has decided that he will not play college football this season at Texas Tech.
The decision comes on the same day that the Big 12 filed a lawsuit in a Texas federal court that was aimed at being provided the power to sanction Texas Tech for playing the quarterback this season, even with the NCAA ruling him ineligible to play.
Over the past three months, Sorsby had been embroiled in an NCAA investigation tied to thousands of bets placed during his college career, with a number of them coming while he was on the roster at Indiana. These bets were flagged by law enforcement officials, who then turned them over to the NCAA.
During these last few weeks, Sorsby filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Lubbock district court, where an injunction was granted that would have allowed him to suit up this season for the Red Raiders. Then came the backlash from across college athletics, with the Big 12 conference searching for ways in which it could possibly punish Texas Tech.
That lawsuit from Sorsby is expected to be dropped on Tuesday morning, sources tell OutKick. The school will also continue to support the quarterback in his battle off the field with an addiction to gambling.
Also, Texas Tech officials are not going to be seeking a return of money already paid to Sorsby, with sources noting that the quarterback had already taken home a significant amount of earnings.
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Board of Regents chair, Cody Campbell, released a statement on Monday night, confirming these details.
“Texas Tech will not seek return of any amounts already paid to Brendan through his NIL agreements with the University,” Campbell noted.
Future Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby shouts during the first half of the game between the Houston Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, on Jan. 24, 2026.(John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
This quickly got out of control for Red Raiders
The unfortunate part for all involved was how far Texas Tech was going in its route to potentially get him on the field this season. Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Big 12 officials, warning them that if the conference were to punish the school for playing Sorsby, the state would take them to court in return.
Then came a scathing letter from Sorsby’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, who also threatened to sue the Big 12 conference, on behalf of Texas Tech, if there were any punishments handed down by the conference.
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Quarterback Brendan Sorsby of the Cincinnati Bearcats speaks with the media during Big 12 Media Days at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on July 8, 2025.(Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
To make the situation even messier, Texas Tech officials released a 21-minute video last week, where they went over certain guardrails that were put into place for Sorsby once he was granted an injunction.
The video was obviously not received well, and officials at Texas Tech were enduring a tremendous amount of backlash from opposing conference leaders from across the Big 12.
After Big 12 filed lawsuit, pressure intensified for Sorsby and Texas Tech
Over the last 24 hours, the conversation shifted within Lubbock, as the school knew that Big 12 officials were preparing to file a federal lawsuit regarding Sorsby.
Those within Sorsby’s inner circle were starting to feel the pressure to go ahead and enter his name into the NFL Supplemental draft, and not have to deal with the immense pressure that was not going away any time soon.
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“I have no idea why they would try to justify this over the past week, it just made zero sense. The amount of heat that young man was getting, along with what was still to come, was not worth the hassle,” one Power Four athletic director told OutKIck. “Texas Tech should’ve made this decision on their own when he was first confronted by the NCAA. This is the reason why we have language in rev-share and NIL contracts that also correlate with NCAA rules.
“Once the school knew rules had been broken, this should have been the end of the conversation.”
Brendan Sorsby of the Cincinnati Bearcats looks on before the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Nov. 1, 2025.(Bryan Byerly/ISI Photos)
In reality, Texas Tech overplayed its hand in this one, and the past few days that included Cody Campbell making an appearance on the Dan Dakich show and trying to compare the situation to the fallout at Penn State with Jerry Sandusky only made this worse.
Now, for all of the damage this has done over the past few weeks, Sorsby will move on to a professional career. In the meantime, Texas Tech will do whatever is needed to repair any type of fractured relationships within the Big 12 this has caused.
For Brendan Sorsby, the focus will be on his continued battle with a gambling addiction, while he also prepares himself for life outside of college football.
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Trey Wallace is the Sr. College Sports Reporter for OutKick.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Iran opened its politically charged World Cup by playing to a 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday night, overcoming two deficits and getting the tying goal from Mohammad Mohebbi in the 64th minute.
Ramin Rezaeian scored an early goal and assisted on Mohebbi’s goal for the Iranians, whose World Cup cycle has been in upheaval since the U.S. and Israel began a war against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran ultimately decided to compete even after FIFA rejected its request to move its three group-stage matches out of the U.S.
Iran moved its training base during the tournament from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, and the team is flying into the U.S. on the day before each game before returning quickly to Mexico. Captain Mehdi Taremi acknowledged that this World Cup has been a difficult experience, containing little of the joy that soccer represents to him and his teammates.
Team Melli began the tournament before a strong pro-Iranian crowd at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, which has the world’s largest population of Iranians outside Iran.
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While several hundred Iranian Americans protested the government outside, many fans from the diaspora jeered and turned their backs on the field during the national anthem — but almost all appeared to support the Iranian players once the match kicked off.
Elijah Just scored early in each half for New Zealand, but Iran responded twice to keep the All Whites winless in their World Cup history. New Zealand still matched its entire goal total from each of its two previous World Cup runs while posting an impressive result against a team ranked 65 places higher by FIFA.
After the raucous pre-game atmosphere, New Zealand stunned the crowd in the seventh minute when captain Chris Wood intercepted a goal kick and eventually forced the ball to Just, who volleyed home a beautiful goal in traffic.
Iran found its footing and equalized in the 32nd minute when Rezaeian chipped a goal with the outside of his boot.
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Just connected again in the 54th minute with more help from Wood, who held up play and found Just for a shot through traffic.
But Iran equalized again in the 64th minute when Rezaeian put a perfect long pass on the head of Mohebbi. Both teams had scoring chances afterward, but couldn’t connect.
Players from both teams embraced and shook hands after the final whistle, with at least one jersey swap occurring. While Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei sat by himself in the dugout, his players gathered together and walked around the field applauding their thousands of flag-waving, roaring fans.
Iran is ranked 20th in its seventh World Cup appearance, including four straight. Team Melli has never advanced from the group stage.
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New Zealand qualified for its first World Cup since 2010 despite being the lowest-rated team in the field, entering at 85th in the world. The All Whites seized the first automatic qualifying berth for the 13-member Oceania Football Confederation after the World Cup expanded to 48 teams.
On tonight’s episode of WWE RAW, Chad Gable faced off against Rusev in a highly anticipated singles match. After the bout, a Hall of Famer rushed down to the ring to save Gable from the post-match attack.
Rusev did not come to the ring alone, as he was accompanied by Ethan Page. The latter made his presence felt early and got involved in the bout multiple times to give the Bulgarian Brute an advantage.
Thanks for the submission!
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As the match began, Rusev used his massive size and strength advantage to completely overpower Gable. The 40-year-old star executed quick single-leg takedowns to keep Rusev grounded.
Despite Page’s distractions, Gable shifted the momentum by hitting a rolling neckbreaker. He stopped Rusev from stomping him and delivered an Angle Slam. Chad Gable then made Rusev tap out to his Ankle Lock and won the match.
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The bell rang, but the celebration was short-lived for the Olympian on WWE RAW. Right after the match ended, Ethan Page stormed the ring. He ambushed Chad Gable from behind and brutally beat down the exhausted superstar. Rusev quickly joined him, making it a severe two-on-one assault. The duo stomped Gable into the mat, and it looked like things were going to get much worse.
However, suddenly, the arena erupted, and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio rushed to make the save. Ethan Page tried to go toe-to-toe with Mysterio in the middle of the ring, but the veteran was too quick. Mysterio hit a flurry of strikes and sent Page packing to the outside.
The chaos did not stop there as Dragon Lee rushed out to back up his mentor. Gable stood tall in the ring alongside Mysterio and Lee. Rusev and Page retreated up the ramp, realizing they were completely outnumbered.
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Last week on the red brand, Chad Gable rushed the ring to save the WWE Hall of Famer from Rusev and Ethan Page’s attack, and this week Mysterio returned the favor.
It remains to be seen if a tag team match between the two teams takes place in the future.
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Saudi Arabia continued their impressive record against South American teams at the World Cup after earning a 1-1 draw against Uruguay in their opening Group H match.
The Green Falcons shocked the football world at the 2022 World Cup when they defeated Argentina, who later went on to win the tournament. This time, Saudi Arabia were close to another famous victory before Uruguay fought back late in the game.
Saudi Arabia took the lead four minutes before half-time through Abdulelah Al Amri. The defender reacted quickest after Hassan Al Tambakti’s powerful header from a corner was pushed away by Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
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The goal gave Saudi Arabia a deserved advantage and raised hopes of another memorable World Cup upset.
Uruguay struggled to create clear chances in the first half, and coach Marcelo Bielsa responded by making two substitutions at the break, including replacing former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.
The changes improved Uruguay’s performance as they increased the pressure on the Saudi defence. Goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais produced several important saves, including a fine stop to push Manuel Ugarte’s low effort onto the post.
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Uruguay finally found an equaliser with 10 minutes remaining. Maxi Araujo was in the right place to score after Al Owais had saved Federico Vinas’ header.
Al Owais continued to shine and finished the match with nine saves. One of his best moments came in stoppage time when he tipped a powerful strike from Federico Valverde around the post to secure a valuable point for his team.
Uruguay ended the game with 28 shots but could not find a winner thanks to Saudi Arabia’s determined defending and excellent goalkeeping.
Following Cape Verde’s surprise draw against Spain, Group H remains wide open. Saudi Arabia will now hope to build on this result as they chase a place in the knockout stage for the first time since the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Sep 27, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Minnesota Vikings fans tour the city. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings just finished off mandatory minicamp (read some coverage on VT in Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C, and Exhibit D). Next up is training camp, something that gets rolling in 47 days, at least as it relates to fans being welcome.
The word arrives courtesy of the team itself. The critical date to know is Saturday, August 1st. Check out the blurb: “Training Camp kicks off Saturday, August 1 with Back Together Weekend: Saturday Edition In addition to practice, the day will feature MVC and SKOL Line performances, player autographs, and, new this year, the integration of Legends Weekend. The Omni Hospitality Tent will feature a Legends Q&A available as part of an upgraded experience.”
The Minnesota Vikings Set August 1st as Key Date for Fans
Lifting the information from the team website means relaying certain key dates.
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On August 1st, the Vikings will welcome fans for the beginning of training camp. Safe to say that all eyes will be on the QB battle even as there are a variety of broader stories that are worth fan interest. The team’s first padded practice takes place on August 3rd. The practice on August 4th will involve a girls flag football clinic.
Reasonably humdrum training camp practices will take place on August 5th and then from August 7th-9th, all of which are open to fans.
Circle Saturday, August 9th as a key date since it’s the night practice that will take place at TCO Stadium. There are then a cluster of three practices ranging from August 11th to 13th. A practice on August 17th is the next one that’s open to fans.
But then there are two that everyone is circling: August 19th and August 20th. The Baltimore Ravens are in town, meaning there will be 180 players battling on the same field(s). Pure chaos that’s a ton of fun to watch.
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Getting a ticket costs $10 for adults. The youngsters (17 and under, per the team) get in at just $5. All things considered, that’s a decent deal in this topsy-turvy world of ours.
Nov 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) and Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Keep in mind that the Minnesota Vikings have a trio of preseason games. The schedule:
Saturday, August 15th, 2026: at New York Giants (12 p.m.)
Saturday, August 22nd, 2026: Baltimore Ravens (12 p.m.)
Friday, August 28th, 2026: at Denver Broncos (8 p.m.)
Currently, the football news is pretty skimpy. Sitting in the middle of June means operating from within one of the unique parts of the calendar where the Vikings aren’t offering at least some form of real football news. What’s notable about today’s update, though, is that the countdown is officially on.
The players and coaches will get to work ahead of that August 1st date. Welcoming fans does have a firm timeline that means people can start making plans to visit Eagan.
Manchester United have been linked with a move for Mateus Fernandes throughout the summer and it appears they have some demands for his club West Ham United
The main sticking point, however, appears to be the fee West Ham are demanding for Fernandes. The Hammers have placed a valuation of around £80m on the midfielder and are keen to spark a bidding war, with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid also circling, reports the Mirror.
West Ham believe Fernandes is the finest young talent in the Premier League, with the potential to command a fee in excess of £100m in the not-too-distant future.
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United, however, are unwilling to meet that asking price. Senior figures at the club have weighed up the benefits of bringing Fernandes into Michael Carrick’s squad.
The feeling at Old Trafford is that, while Fernandes possesses enormous potential, he has yet to fully prove himself at the highest level.
United are expected to table an opening bid later this week – but it will fall well short of £80m. Whether the two clubs can find common ground on the fee remains to be seen.
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However, with Fernandes having set his heart on a move to Old Trafford, United are refusing to be rushed and are willing to play the long game in the hope of securing a deal on their own terms.
A medical has already been set for £39m midfield signing Ederson from Atalanta. He is expected to be the first of three potential midfield arrivals this summer.
Meanwhile, United have played down reports claiming a £60m agreement has been struck with Newcastle to sign Lewis Hall. Although United continue to hold the England international in high regard, bringing in a left back is not at the top of their transfer agenda right now.
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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
Sorsby made the decision just one week after a Texas judge shocked the sporting landscape by granting Sorsby a temporary injunction that blocked the NCAA from enforcing its career suspension of Sorsby, who had admitted to placing more than 40 bets on Indiana when he was a freshman quarterback with the Hoosiers in 2022.
That decision by a retired judge from Tarrant County, Texas, caused an eruption in college football.
Big 12 opponents seethed. Big Ten and SEC foes ordered their programs to strip Texas Tech from the schedule. In recent days the outrage snowballed. Big 12 presidents and athletic directors actively met with one clear consensus from the rest of the league: Sorsby shouldn’t be allowed to play. It went so far that state attorney generals from Oklahoma, Kansas and Utah voiced their support for the Big 12 in the face of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton threatening the conference with legal action if it attempted to interfere with the judge’s order.
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College football is basically religion in Texas, and the strife surrounding the Sorsby situation felt, in a way, biblical.
Sorsby, who entered a gambling rehabilitation program and stood to be suspended the first two games of Texas Tech’s season, was never a martyr, and the national blowback from his high-profile lawsuit against the NCAA cannot have been worth it. He was easily going to be the most unpopular figure in college football this season, and that harassment would have been a terrible, season-long drain on his mental health. We’ll see if a possible NFL suspension looms and what even happens in the supplemental draft, but there will be more peace afforded to Sorsby if only because this Texas Tech saga is over.
Now to talk about Texas Tech. Its most vociferous Sorsby defenders of the last week have Sorsby himself to thank for saving the Red Raiders from themselves.
The Red Raiders, in just a few short months, had gone from one of the great underdog success stories of the NIL era of college athletics into a villain. Their power triumvirate of booster, coach and AD had been unflinching about playing Sorsby this fall despite the fact their prized transfer QB had crossed one of the last few lines in sports: He had bet on games involving his team.
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Preventing that is foundational to the integrity of the sport. Any crack in the competitive, unpredictable nature of college football could endanger the enterprise’s existence. It’s the rare rule everyone in college football can agree on.
Yet Texas Tech dug its spurs into the West Texas dirt in protest.
Not only would it support Sorsby through his gambling addiction — the right thing to do — but Tech showed up to this fight fully loaded. It supported Sorsby’s lawsuit, appealed the NCAA’s career-long suspension and then doubled down when critics blasted the judge’s outlandish decision to reduce Sorsby’s punishment to just two games.
Texas Tech paid Sorsby more than $5 million this offseason to transfer from Cincinnati. He was the building block for a championship push. The Red Raiders, led by the bombastic booster Cody Campbell, had made their big investment and were totally willing to push through the vitriol to win as many games as possible this fall, perhaps even all of them (Texas Tech is loaded).
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Texas Tech’s administration explained publicly that they didn’t want to abandon Sorsby in a time of need. He needed support from the school and his team to work through his addiction. Fair and frankly noble of Texas Tech.
But the one thing the Red Raiders never managed to explain is why they couldn’t help Sorsby and also keep him on the bench.
He didn’t have to play. Texas Tech could have helped Sorsby through a difficult time and also justly punished him for the the type of violation that will forever keep baseball’s hit king out of the Hall of Fame.
Instead, whether it was via a 20-minute video, Campbell’s tweets or head coach Joey McGuire’s stump speeches at booster events, the Red Raiders kept fighting against the obvious correct answer.
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It’s possible Tech’s stance has softened in recent days. Many around the sport speculated it eventually would: Could they really have stood up against the waves for 75 more days? The Big 12 hoped to come down hard on Texas Tech, and public vitriol against Tech outside of Lubbock blazed. The Red Raiders were likely going to have to back down eventually, and perhaps they pushed Sorsby toward the NFL path with the supplemental draft deadline looming.
Either way, Sorsby leaving for the NFL is best for all parties. Sorsby gets to move on with his career. The NCAA and college football stave off a doomsday scenario.
Texas Tech, for its part, avoids losing a part of its soul.
Saudi Arabia hold firm against relentless pressure to earn a 1-1 draw against two-time world champions Uruguay in their Group H opener at the Miami Stadium.
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