Big 12 addresses Texas AG legal action warning in Brendan Sorsby case
Jun 11, 2026, 1:38 PM | Updated: Jun 12, 2026, 11:05 am
SALT LAKE CITY – The Big 12 Conference held an Executive Board meeting on Thursday, discussing the next course of action for the league regarding Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
Sorsby, who was granted an injunction against the NCAA by a Texas judge, is eligible to play this upcoming season despite the NCAA declaring him ineligible for wagering on college athletics, which includes bets on his old team, the Indiana Hoosiers.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sends notice to the Big 12 Conference
Before Thursday’s Big 12 Executive Board meeting, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to the Big 12 Conference that Texas Tech would pursue legal action if sanctions were levied against Tech.
The Texas Attorney General sent a formal letter to the Big 12 today alerting the conference that Texas Tech would take action against any league sanction. https://t.co/7JwscVxaVk pic.twitter.com/m5Eoo4yZkd
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 11, 2026
“We are aware that the Big 12 is considering invoking Bylaw 3.6 of the Big 12’s Bylaws to sanction Texas Tech for respecting the Order and continuing its support of Mr. Sorsby as a student-athlete. This letter serves to notify the Big 12 that any such action would be unlawful and would expose the Conference to substantial liability,” wrote Attorney General Ken Paxton in the letter that was obtained by Yahoo! ‘s Ross Dellenger.
Bylaw 3.6 for the Big 12 bylaws is “Sanction of a Member.”
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark met with four school presidents on the Big 12’s Executive Board: presidents and chancellors from Kansas, Kansas State, Arizona, and BYU.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark met with the league’s executive board — four Big 12 presidents — today to discuss potential punishments in the Brendan Sorsby eligibility case. Here’s the latest with @mattbarrie on @sportscenter. pic.twitter.com/St7jJReawz
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 11, 2026
Big 12 Conference issues a statement following Thursday’s Executive Board meeting
On Thursday afternoon, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark issued a statement following the meeting with the presidents.
“Shortly before the start of today’s Big 12 Executive Board meeting, the Conference received a letter from the Texas Attorney General’s office notifying the Conference of potential legal action from Texas Tech if the Conference pursues certain actions under its Bylaws. We are taking time with our legal counsel to understand the concerns of the state and will meet again with the full Board next week.
We moved forward with our Executive Board today in preparation for our full Board meeting on Monday. We had a good and informative discussion. Sentiment among the Executive Board was no different from what we heard from the ADs earlier this week.
Our discussion with the full Board will determine our course of action, and all options remain on the table.”
Brendan Sorsby is suspended for the first two games and is cleared to play, following that two-game suspension, which will be Tech’s nonconference games against Abilene Christian and Oregon State.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
