CFL joins NFL in shutting out Brendan Sorsby for the 2026 season
The Canadian Football League issued a statement Friday confirming it will not allow any of its teams to sign or negotiate with former quarterback Brendan Sorsby, per USA Today’s Paul Myerberg and shared by Adam Schefter on X, eliminating what would have been his last realistic path to play professional football in 2026.
“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL,” the league said. “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.”
His most likely path forward is the 2027 NFL Draft
Sorsby, who played at Indiana, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA in May following an investigation into gambling activity spanning multiple programs.
He admitted to placing thousands of bets on college and professional sports totaling upward of $90,000, including 40 wagers on Indiana football while he was a member of the team.
A Texas judge granted him a temporary injunction this month that would have cleared him to play for Texas Tech in 2026, but the ruling drew immediate condemnation from the NCAA, which announced it would appeal. Big 12 programs threatened to refuse to schedule games against the Red Raiders if Sorsby suited up.
The CFL will not allow Brendan Sorsby to join its league this season.https://t.co/KEs1nC1Zmn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 26, 2026
On June 15, Sorsby withdrew from the lawsuit and announced he would pursue entry into the NFL’s supplemental draft instead. The NFL declined on June 23, issuing a pointed letter stating his petition was “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.”
The NFL added that the issues raised were “too significant and too closely tied to the League’s core integrity interests to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented.”
Sorsby had not publicly expressed interest in the CFL, and the league’s 2026 season is already three weeks underway, having started June 4. The statement appears to have been issued preemptively, closing a door that had not been formally knocked on.
Sorsby’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, has threatened legal action against the NFL over its supplemental draft decision, though no lawsuit has been filed as of Friday.
Given that no suit has been filed in the days since the NFL’s announcement, waiting out the year appears to be the direction his situation is heading.
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