Big 12 withdraws Texas Tech, Paxton lawsuit after private settlement

The Big 12 has withdrawn its federal lawsuit against Texas Tech, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and university officials over the school’s handling of former quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility, asking that the case be dismissed with prejudice. The conference and Texas Tech said they resolved the matter internally, but the Big 12 has not publicly detailed the agreement. Sorsby acknowledged placing thousands of impermissible bets totaling at least $90,000 while at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech, including more than 40 bets involving Indiana, though none concerned games in which he played. A Texas judge temporarily cleared the way for him to play after he challenged the NCAA’s ineligibility ruling, but Sorsby has since left Texas Tech and is reportedly focusing on the 2027 NFL Draft. The NCAA separately cleared Cincinnati of wrongdoing, and the Big 12 adopted a rule requiring schools to cover the conference’s legal costs in similar future disputes.