FRISCO — Everybody seems ready to move on from the Brendan Sorsby saga, including Big 12 Conference commissioner Brett Yormark.
During the Q&A portion of his opening address to kick off football media days Tuesday in The Star, Yormark was asked whether the commissioner supported Texas Tech football during the initial stages of the Sorsby situation and when that may have changed.
“Today’s not the time to address that issue,” Yormark said. “Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools.”
The well-documented drama surrounding the Cincinnati transfer quarterback reached its conclusion when Sorsby decided to drop his lawsuit seeking an injunction to continue playing for the Red Raiders after having his eligibility revoked following an investigation into his gambling habits, which included betting on Indiana football games while he was a member of the team.
Yormark and the Big 12 Conference were part of the reason for the resolution, as the league sought to punish Texas Tech if it wound up playing Sorsby, filing a lawsuit in Dallas looking to affirm its league guidelines in such an event.
In part, the lawsuit looked to establish punishments for Texas Tech that could have included a postseason ban and loss of revenue earned from the conference.
Despite all the chaos the month of June brought with the situation, Yormark said he is turning the page, or at least avoiding the conversation for now.
During his opening remarks, Yormark said that sports gambling remains “an industry-wide concern” and that the league is extending its partnership with IC360 to monitor activity.
Another member of the media tried to go about the question in a different way, asking Yormark about the hope of settling such issues outside of the courtroom. Yormark again sidestepped the context of the question, offering a general thought instead.
“Integrity for the game is critically important, for all sports in this conference,” Yormark said. “We will continue to work with our student-athletes to educate them and to help guide them in this new environment.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark sidesteps Brendan Sorsby conversation at media day
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
