The Cleveland Browns will not get a chance to add Brendan Sorsby this summer.
A Texas judge granted the embattled Texas Tech quarterback a temporary injunction against the NCAA on Monday, June 8, restoring his eligibility for the college football season. The ruling prevents the NCAA from keeping Sorsby from practicing or playing for Texas Tech while his legal case continues.
Sorsby must serve a two-game suspension under the terms of the injunction. He is expected to miss games against Abilene Christian and Oregon State before returning for Texas Tech’s Big 12 opener against Houston. The decision takes Sorsby out of consideration for a potential NFL supplemental draft and ends any possibility of the Browns adding him before training camp.
Cleveland had been mentioned as a possible destination for Sorsby, although it was never clear that the organization had serious interest.
Browns Were Mentioned as Potential Landing Spot for Brendan Sorsby
Sorsby’s NFL future became a topic of discussion after the NCAA declared him permanently ineligible for violating its sports gambling rules. Court documents showed that Sorsby placed thousands of bets through sportsbook accounts belonging to friends and a family member. The wagers included at least 40 bets involving Indiana football while Sorsby was a member of the program.
Had Sorsby remained ineligible, he could have applied for the NFL supplemental draft by June 22. The supplemental draft allows teams to bid on eligible players by assigning a draft round to them. The team that wins the player forfeits its selection in the corresponding round of the next NFL draft.
Sorsby still carried an intriguing resume for Cleveland to consider. He threw for 5,613 yards, 45 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over two seasons at Cincinnati. He also rushed for 1,027 yards and 18 touchdowns in 24 games.
Todd Monken Expressed Concern About Adding Brendan Sorsby
Monken and Berry took notably different approaches when asked about Sorsby before the court’s ruling. Berry did not close the door on the possibility of evaluating him.
“No different than we do every year,” Berry said. “We’ll do the work on all the prospects, and then we’ll make the appropriate decision for the organization.”
Monken was far more skeptical. He made it clear that he was uncomfortable with the idea of Cleveland selecting Sorsby, which would add yet another source of uncertainty to the complicated QB situation.
“I like the quarterbacks that we have. I think that’s a slippery slope when you go down that, irrespective of talent, right? In terms of the situation he’s [put] himself in, we all know what that is,” Monken said. “He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players that have been banned for life from playing in professional sports.”
Monken has not named a starter and has continued rotating Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson during offseason practices. Both quarterbacks have received first-team opportunities as the Browns install a new offense.
Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green are also on the roster, but neither appears to be a serious contender for the starting job.
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