Table of Contents
It’s becoming increasingly unlikely thatBrendan Sorsby will be playing competitive football anywhere in the year 2026.
Following theNFL’s decision earlier this week to decline the quarterback’s application for the league’s supplemental draft, electing instead not to hold one this summer, the Canadian Football League has announced that it also won’t allow Sorsby to play there this coming season.
“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL,” the league said in a statement on Friday,via USA Today. “The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning. At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him, and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list.”
Sorsby has been at the center of an ongoing sports betting scandal over the past two months, which has seen the 22-year-old check into rehab in late April for a gambling addiction before being ruled ineligible by the NCAA while it investigated the alleged“thousands” of wagers he placed on college sports. Sorsby later admitted as such in an affidavit, where he also revealed placing at least 40 bets on his own team at the time, Indiana.
MORE:A Complete Timeline of the Brendan Sorsby Saga That Has Rocked the Sport of Football
After twice beingdenied reinstatement by the NCAA—once on his own accord and again through an appeal from Texas Tech—Sorsby was granted an injunction by Lubbock County judge Ken Curry, in turn restoring his eligibility. Chaos then ensued, as multiple programsthreatened to boycott the Red Raiders while their own conference, the Big 12,looked to go to federal court to overturn Curry’s ruling. This essentially forced Sorsby’s hand, andhe announced on June 15 his plan to apply for the supplemental draft.
Now, less than two weeks later, football’s top two professional leagues are essentially shunning the 6'3", 235-pound dual-threat quarterback—putting his playing status for the 2026 season very much in limbo.
Sorsby’s football-playing options are continuing to dwindle
After the NFL announced that it would not be holding a supplemental draft this summer, Sorsby’s agent, Jeffrey Kessler, released a statement calling the decision “an unlawful action by the NFL in violation of the CBA,” while saying that they plan to take the matter to the NFL Players Association.
Outside of the unlikely event that legal action can overturn the NFL’s decision—which also bars him from signing with a club as a free agent—Sorsby’s football-playing options for the upcoming season appear all but exhausted. Both the NFL and CFL have effectively banned him for 2026, and after dropping his lawsuit against the NCAA, a return to college football isn’t possible either. The UFL could theoretically be an option for Sorsby, but it’s a spring league that concluded its 2026 season last month. By the time its 2027 campaign begins, the quarterback will likely have turned his focus to preparing for the ’27 NFL draft instead.
Interestingly enough, the final line of theNFL’s letter to Sorsby read as follows: “By all accounts, you are a talented player with the potential for future success. We encourage you to focus on preparing for possible entry into the NFL through the 2027 NFL annual draft.”
That’s looking to be his only option at this point.
More NFL from Sports Illustrated
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished | Modified 
MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
Share on XFollow mikekadlickShare on FacebookShare on XHome/NFLOriginal Article
