After what felt like a several months long game of Marco Polo, it appears we finally found the adults in the room when it comes to the Brendan Sorsby situation.
Ladies and gentleman, meet The NFL.
A league that definitely has its own issues and hypocrises, but a league that showed college football that leadership can be fast, firm, and above all else – logical. Brendan Sorsby and his team spent months pointing the finger at anyone but themselves and threatening lawsuits through legal loopholes that hardly any normal person could rationalize. Finally, it seemed like logic and reason prevailed and Sorsby announced he’d be moving on from college and entering the NFL Supplemental Draft.
Or so he thought.
Turns out, unlike in Lubbock, Texas or the NCAA, you can’t just make up the rules as you go everywhere else. There are rules. More importantly, there is accountability. And after months of Sorsby and his team punching air over the consequences of their own actions, they finally got punched in the mouth with reality. That was essentially the mood of what is the most “per my last email” statement the NFL could’ve released.
The League has not conducted such a draft for several years and, prior to your submission, the League had no plans to do so this year, as no other player has sought entry. Your Petition—filed three business days before the deadline, without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctions—does not provide a basis for the League to alter those plans. 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.
Wow. What a banger. The NFL followed that with even more blunt, emotionless reality checks.
As Commissioner Goodell has emphasized, participation in the NFL is a privilege that carries with it significant responsibilities, including accountability. 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.
There is nothing sad about this saga coming to an end. It’s a relief that actions do still have consequences and that regardless of your biggest booster’s tax bracket, rules still apply to everyone. What is sad however is that not one person around Sorsby ever told him to avoid this absolute clown show that unfolded and potentially ruined his career while the world watched in real time.
Go to Canada. Play in the CFL. Go to the UFL. Go anywhere but the spotlight for the next little while and just take your medicine. I promise it’s way better for your brand, prospects, and future as a football player than anything you and your advisors have done in the last several years.
