Jason Busby

College football keeps trying to regulate NIL without the one mechanism that actually makes regulation legal: collective bargaining. As long as athletes aren’t part of a negotiated labor framework, caps on pay, transfer limits, and recruiting restrictions will keep running into antitrust problems. Revenue sharing + a players union negotiating contracts, transfer rules, and NIL oversight feels like the most realistic path to stability. Curious how others think this evolves over the next decade.

Texas Tech is worried about what the Big 12 might do today. They should be more worried about what the SEC and Big Ten might do tomorrow.

@slmandel I've been saying this non-stop. The SEC and Big Ten aren't going to forget who's picking fights with everyone while simultaneously asking for a seat at the table.

Cody Campbell and Texas Tech desperately want a seat at the big boys table. They are doing everything possible this week to get permanently banished. nytimes.com/athletic/73495…

A mid-tier program trying to convince the SEC and Big Ten it belongs in the future of the sport is currently picking fights with the NCAA, threatening the Big 12, and defending a gambling-related eligibility case. That seems incredibly shortsighted when those same people are the main ones deciding who has a seat at the table tomorrow.

The State of Texas has warned schools against canceling games against Texas Tech, saying they may be liable for doing so. Read em and weep.

@Buckeye_GDG It surprises me how openly they're burning bridges with the Big Ten and the SEC. To me this doesn't feel like they've chewed down what this is really about and the consequences they may face in the future for doing it.

Texas Tech went from respectable, acknowledged, rising program…and have turned into the most hated program within days.

My question to Texas Tech is whether this is a smart hill to die on. The SEC and Big Ten aren't just watching from the sidelines. They're the people deciding what the future of college football looks like, who has a seat at the table, and who doesn't. That's a lot of bridges to be testing over one player.

I've said all along that the bigger question isn't whether Texas Tech wins in court. It's whether this is a smart hill to die on. The SEC, Big Ten, commissioners, presidents, and ADs are overwhelmingly against what's happening. Those are the same people who are going to help decide what the next version of college football looks like. More importantly, they're going to help decide where Texas Tech fits into it.

Just as I predicted . . . The legal strategy deployed by Texas Tech and Sorsby has been tremendously effective thus far. Tip of the cap to their counsel.

@Samicefont @cosmobaby21

@cosmobaby21 @TheBusbyProject @cosmobaby21 this Jason guy has got to be on the spectrum. What a dumb fucking idiot. Lol

"Texas Tech didn't file the lawsuit." - Kirby Hocutt No, they're just funding the player who did and benefiting from the outcome. This feels less like accountability and more like trying to hide behind a technicality while wrapping everything in a "we're helping his recovery" talking point. They've turned him into the face of the biggest gambling controversy in college sports. Every headline, every podcast, every TV segment, and every debate about integrity in sports now has his name attached to it. That's not protecting a young man. That's putting him directly in the middle of a national firestorm.

@ChrisVannini @dandakich A lot of Tech staff and fans suddenly became professional addiction recovery advocates the moment that their $5 million dollar Quarterback got ruled ineligible.

Texas Tech goes on the offensive for Brendan Sorsby. Cody Campbell to @dandakich: "There are kids that will suit up this fall who have actually hurt people and done bad things, and nobody’s talking about boycotting them or not playing them." More: nytimes.com/athletic/73478…

I'm sure people who have actually struggled with gambling addiction appreciate the support and recovery angle. But nobody actually believes the majority of Texas Tech fans or staff suddenly became advocates for addiction recovery the moment their $5 million quarterback got ruled ineligible. It's just a convenient argument.

@TheBusbyProject The "standing by our player and helping him through his addiction" talk is so childish. I can't believe anybody falls for that

"Find better lawyers" doesn't even make sense. A judge issued an injunction and set the actual case for 2027. The NCAA's choices are comply with the order or appeal it. That's how the law works. And nobody said NIL money shouldn't be allowed to fund a lawsuit. That's another argument you invented. My point was that Texas Tech has millions invested in the player, benefits from him being eligible, and is publicly defending the outcome. By the time the courts fully sort this out, the season will likely be over. The NCAA isn't the one pretending to be uninvolved while benefiting from the outcome. Texas Tech is.

@TheBusbyProject So, you’re suggesting that the NIL should have a “no lawsuit” restriction. Plus I think Kessler accepted this to prove a point. If you’re so sure the TI is wrong maybe lobby the NCAA to find better lawyers.

@AlafrigginBama I think it was 38-3. (Sorry)

Having an AD that looks at a 28-3 Rose Bowl loss and asks what can I do better is a luxury.

I'd have a lot more respect for Texas Tech and Kirby Hocutt if they were just honest. "Yes, he broke the gambling rules. Yes, we know why people are upset. We just care more about winning than we do the integrity of the sport." At least that would be truthful. The whole "this is about helping a young man" angle rings hollow. You've put a target on his back and turned him into the face of the biggest gambling and integrity controversy in college sports. That doesn't sound like helping him to me.

@_Tide18Tymes I was never super high on Tim Williams. The biggest shocker for me from Alabama was Trent Richardson. That guy was a freak show in college.

The answer is always Tim Williams

@buckeyefbnation Kentucky is reportedly spending big on NIL this year. I didn't even know that until I heard @AndyStaples and @AriWasserman talking about it on their podcast earlier.

Tyler Bowen what do you actually do here?

Supporting his recovery and fighting for his eligibility aren't the same thing. Texas Tech and Kirby Hocutt says they're doing this to help the guy. That's not what I see. What they've actually done is make him the most visible symbol of a controversy in the sport. That's not reducing pressure on someone recovering from addiction. It's putting a target on his back.

Does Brendan Sorsby deserve support to help him kick his gambling addiction? 1000% yes. Does Brendan Sorsby deserve to play football after doing the one thing that is universally unacceptable in sports, gambling on your own team? 1000% no. Both of those things can be true.

@Cecil1380674 @Samicefont No, I said Texas Tech is funding the player. You changed that into "Texas Tech funded the lawsuit" because it's easier to argue against. Those are two completely different statements. Texas Tech is paying the player. Texas Tech benefits from the outcome. That's what I said.

@TheBusbyProject @Samicefont What you said was a lie. He funded the lawsuit himself.

Cinci dropped $875,000 on him. Texas Tech dropped $5 million to bring him there, not counting the 2026 season upcoming. But, I'm sure you already knew that. You're essentially arguing over which dollar from his bank account paid the lawyer while ignoring the actual point that I made. Texas Tech has millions invested in Sorsby. Texas Tech benefits from him playing. Texas Tech is publicly defending the outcome. If you think those things are completely unrelated, I don't know what to tell you.

@TheBusbyProject @Samicefont Oh the goalpost have moved. Before he had no money besides TTU NIL now suddenly I need to show bank statements.

@Cecil1380674 @Samicefont Get him to send you a bank statement showing which funds he used in his lawsuit for me.

@TheBusbyProject @Samicefont He received $875,800 IN NIL from Cincinnati as their starting QB for the 2025 season. Great research by you.