The NFL is sticking it to Brendan Sorsby.
PFT has confirmed that the NFL has decided not to conduct a supplemental draft in July 2026. This means that Sorsby will not enter the NFL until the April 2027 draft.
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Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL believed there was insufficient time to fully investigate his gambling activities.
That’s a cop-out, in our view. They could have (and perhaps should have) begun exploring the matter from the moment it became clear — in late April — that Sorsby may end up applying for the supplemental draft. Also, the league didn’t have to investigate Sorsby’s gambling to determine whether he is or isn’t eligible to be drafted.
There’s no rule regarding eligibility for the draft that relates to gambling prior to entering the NFL.
The next question becomes whether Sorsby will fight the NFL’s decision in court. Because Sorsby has not yet been drafted, he’s not part of the union. Lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, who won a temporary injunction restoring Sorsby’s NCAA eligibility 15 days ago, could file a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order and/or a preliminary injunction.
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The NFL currently has two players who engaged in similar gambling behavior to Sorsby while in college. Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte bet on LSU games in which he played for LSU (Sorsby didn’t play in any of the Indiana games on which he wagered); Boutte was never punished in any way by the league. Saints quarterback Hunter Dekkers permanently lost his NCAA eligibility for gambling on Iowa State while he was on the Iowa State roster. His entry into the NFL was not delayed.
But, as mentioned recently, the NFL has a reputation for making the rules up as it goes. Someone believed Sorsby deserved to miss a year of football — and that someone decided the best way to do that would be to keep him out of the 2026 draft.
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