Sports betting ban lifted: 2018
The Supreme Court lifted the barring of sports betting in 2018, which Howard Bryant argues directly led to corruption cases like the Sorsby scandal.
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Jun 13, 2026
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Sports Betting, the Sorsby Scandal, and the Corruption That Was Always Coming
At 13:53 · chapter starts 13:13
Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby's case is, in Howard Bryant's view, a perfect encapsulation of everything that was wrong about legalising sports betting. Sorsby bet on his own team 40 times — a practice banned for over a century — and received a lifetime NCAA ban. Then a Texas judge granted an injunction allowing him to play while his case heads to trial in February. [1] — Howard Bryant "The 2018 Supreme Court decision that legalized sports betting made scandals like Brendan Sorsby's lifetime ban inevitable. Teams want their…" 13:10 Bryant's take is unflinching: this isn't surprising, it's structural. Texas Tech wants him because he's a great player. The teams, leagues, and media — much of which is itself underwritten by gambling advertisers — have no financial incentive to take a principled stand. The Supreme Court opened the door in 2018, and everyone walked through it. The result, Bryant concludes: public trust in sports was already eroding; it's about to erode further.
Sorsby bet on own team 40 times
Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was banned for life by the NCAA after betting on his own team 40 times, before a Texas judge granted him an injunction to play this season.
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