NFL Rejects Brendan Sorsby Petition; No 2026 Supplemental Draft

On June 23 the NFL informed Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby that it would not hold a supplemental draft in 2026 and that it rejected his petition for special eligibility, citing timing and concerns about game integrity linked to his gambling violations.

The league’s June 23 letter noted that under the collective bargaining agreement the NFL has discretion to decide whether to hold a supplemental draft each year. The letter said the league had no plans to conduct a supplemental draft until it received Sorsby’s application and pointed out the last supplemental draft took place in 2019.

The letter added that Sorsby filed his petition three business days before the deadline, provided no supporting documentation and submitted the petition only after abandoning recent litigation aimed at avoiding NCAA sanctions.

Sorsby acknowledged placing thousands of wagers on college and professional sports totaling more than $90,000. The NCAA declared him permanently ineligible, citing a pattern of gambling activity across multiple schools.

The NFL wrote that it did not have the complete NCAA investigative record but that available information indicates Sorsby wagered on his own team and teammates and used intermediary accounts to place bets on his behalf.

The letter stated: “The issues presented by your Petition are too significant, and too closely tied to the League’s core integrity interests, to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented.” It also expressed concern that a supplemental draft review so close to training camp would be a distraction for teams.

The league criticized the petition for failing to address the conduct that led to the NCAA sanction and for not showing how Sorsby would comply with NFL integrity rules going forward. The correspondence encouraged Sorsby to prepare for possible entry through the 2027 NFL Draft and quoted Commissioner Roger Goodell: “participation in the NFL is a privilege that carries with it significant responsibilities, including accountability.”

Jeffrey Kessler, Sorsby’s attorney, disputed the league’s account, contending the application required only a short filing, that the NFL never requested additional documentation, and that filing near the deadline would not affect consideration. Kessler described the decision as “a violation of the CBA and the law” and pledged to pursue the matter through the NFL Players Association.

Sorsby had earlier obtained a temporary injunction that would have allowed him to play a final collegiate season but abandoned that lawsuit before filing the special eligibility petition. With no supplemental draft scheduled for 2026, his most likely path to the NFL is entry through the 2027 draft unless the league’s decision is overturned through legal or union action. The NFL Players Association has not announced whether it will challenge the decision.