NFL Told Media About Sorsby Draft Rejection Before Telling Him, Lawyer Says

Brendan Sorsby, a 22-year-old quarterback who used to play for Texas Tech, found out that the NFL had rejected his request to enter the supplemental draft the same way most people did — by seeing it in the news. His attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, said the NFL sent its rejection letter to reporters before it ever reached Sorsby himself. The news broke on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 23.

Kessler's office released a statement saying, "The NFL gave its letter purporting to deny Mr. Sorsby entry to the Supplemental Draft to the media before sending it to Mr. Sorsby." The statement added that Sorsby had no warning that he needed to submit his application earlier or include more documents. According to Kessler, Sorsby had filled out and sent in his application "within hours of receiving it" the week before.

The NFL's official rejection letter came from Larry Ferazani, the general counsel of the NFL Management Council. The letter said Sorsby's application "does not provide a basis for the League" to hold a supplemental draft. It listed two reasons: the application was filed just three business days before the deadline, and it was missing important supporting documents.

Sorsby's road to this point has been difficult. The NFL denied his application to enter a supplemental draft, which would have allowed him to join an NFL team this year instead of waiting for the regular draft. He is not currently allowed to sign with any NFL team as a free agent. However, there is a chance he could be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Before trying to enter the NFL, Sorsby had been fighting legal battles to return to college football. The NCAA had investigated him for a gambling addiction, and he admitted to placing "thousands" of online bets. He checked into a rehabilitation center for a sports gambling addiction in April. In early June, a court gave him an injunction — a legal order — that would have allowed him to play college football again in 2026.

Even though Sorsby won that court battle, things got complicated quickly. Other groups, including the Big 12 conference, filed their own legal complaints against him. His agent, Ron Slavin, said all the criticism and legal pressure pushed Sorsby away from returning to Texas Tech. Two people close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports on June 15 that Sorsby had decided to leave Texas Tech and try the NFL instead.

Now, after the NFL's rejection, Kessler says Sorsby plans to ask the NFL Players Association, known as the NFLPA, to take legal action. Kessler called the NFL's decision "an unlawful act in violation of the collective bargaining agreement," which is the official rulebook agreed upon by the NFL and its players. However, one person close to the situation said the NFLPA "has not made any determination on if, how or whether there are legal grounds to act on" Sorsby's case. For now, Sorsby's future in football remains uncertain.