NFL Sends Strong Message To Brendan Sorsby As League Sources Cast Doubt On Any Return

The NFL league office, according to numerous sources in team front offices, had good reason to believe that if it had held a supplemental draft next month and allowed suspended-NCAA quarterback Brendan Sorsby to participate, there was a strong probability he would have been selected, and selected high.

Sorsby has received treatment for a gambling addiction and bet on his own team’s games in college, at a time when he was tied up in a legal bind regarding his college eligibility, he sought relief by entering the supplemental draft. 

The NFL’s decision this week not to hold that draft has been viewed around the league as a directive designed to keep Sorsby from playing for an extended period, with executives believing the league needed to send a strong signal about a player attempting to sue his way into the NFL while carrying serious gambling baggage.

“Somebody was going to take him, and probably in the second round,” one general manager told SportsBoom. 

“The league wouldn’t like the way that looked. So they took it off the table.”

That sentiment has fuelled the perception inside the league that Sorsby’s immediate path into professional football has been deliberately obstructed at a time when some teams were actively preparing to evaluate him more closely.

Certain Sins Will Not Be Tolerated

The decision to notify Sorsby of his status regarding the supplemental draft this soon before it was to take place ends the discovery process for interested teams, who had been continuing to investigate the scope of his issues and assess his viability.

As a result, it also appears to have a serious cooling effect on his future earning potential and entrance to the league.

“Think about it this way,” as one longtime NFL personnel executive explained it. 

“They kicked him out for 2027. A lot can happen between now and the draft. What else do we find out about him? Does he start making bets again?" 

“Then, say he is eligible for the 2027 draft, he hasn’t played all year, there’s no film on him, and whoever drafts him will know that he is still going to face discipline. He’s going to be suspended for 10 games or 12 games. Whatever. There goes his 2028 season." 

“They don’t want him in the league. All we have is trust, and once that trust erodes, everything is called into question. A quarterback making all those bets, that’s a big problem. That’s the last thing Park Avenue (league office) wants.”

Legal Fight Looks Increasingly Unlikely

The league’s decision has also sharpened the focus on Sorsby’s off-field options, with sources suggesting his chances of forcing an earlier entry into the system through legal means are rapidly diminishing.

The NFL sent a quick and stern message by scuttling the supplemental draft that was eligible to be held next month, as the player and his legal team consider their next moves. History would suggest he is likely to be sitting on the sidelines for quite some time.

In the past, the NFL Players Association has been disinclined to support legal challenges aimed at the NFL draft, reserving its fights with league ownership for issues involving current dues-paying members rather than future entrants.

Some legal observers have long argued that draft rules are largely arbitrary and designed to benefit owners from a cost and development standpoint, but the chances of Sorsby finding relief through litigation appear slim.

Getting an injunction of any kind to gain entry into the NFL before next April’s draft appears almost impossible. As a practical matter, executives who were previously evaluating him have also lost urgency to continue doing so.

“I’ll worry about him next year,” said one general manager who was adamant Sorsby would have been selected in the second round had the supplemental draft gone ahead.

A potential route through the Canadian Football League remains, but one longtime CFL executive suggested there would be little appetite to act independently given the broader NFL context.

“They don’t want to ruffle feathers with the NFL,” the executive said, adding that it would make little sense to rush him into an offence for a short stint knowing he would still be eligible for the NFL draft next year.