Texas Tech asked NCAA to update rules on gambling, president says

Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said the university recently asked NCAA officials to update their gambling rules to reflect the current environment as the university was dealing with the investigation into Texas Tech football player Brendan Sorsby's wagering addiction.

>"I've experienced a personal evolution about how I look at these things," Schovanec said in a video Tech athletics published on Thursday, June 11. "When you remove it from an abstract matter to a real person and you become aware of the circumstances in their individual case, you see things differently.

>"We did ask the NCAA to consider modifying or changing their policies when we wrote that letter welcoming him back. But I think we have to recognize the rules in place now were made long before there were millions of young people walking around with a legal gambling apparatus in their pocket, and our consideration today needs to take into account the fact medically diagnosed conditions and the circumstances in which they live."

class="related-link">More: Texas Tech football: Brendan Sorsby playing week 3 'still a stretch'

class="related-link">More: Texas Tech football QB Brendan Sorsby gets injunction, 2-game suspension

>Sorsby has admitted wagering at least $90,000 over a four-year period, including some $5,000 since he transferred in January to Texas Tech, his third college program. The NCAA declared Sorsby permanently ineligible for violations of its rules against gambling.

>The NCAA rejected Tech's request for Sorsby's reinstatement and later denied an appeal. On June 8, however, Judge Ken Curry granted a temporary injunction that gives Sorsby eligibility for the 2026 season after a two-game suspension the judge imposed.

>

>In the 21-minute video, Schovanec shared a conference-room table with athletics director Kirby Hocutt, Tech football coach Joey McGuire, Grant Stovall, Tech senior associate AD for student-athlete health and wellbeing and senior associate AD Robert Giovannetti, who moderated the discussion.

>"When I wrote the letter a couple of weeks ago welcoming Brendan back to campus, it was because we believed this was the best place for him," Schovanec said. "He would have the benefit of the structure of the program, the coaches, the staff, the university community, and our concern for him was sincere. As Kirby alluded to, we did not know what the outcome would be. We were not welcoming him back under the expectation that he would necessarily play, but we thought, 'This is the place for you.' That support is unwavering."

>This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech asked NCAA to update rules on gambling, president says