Judge in Sorsby lawsuit vs. NCAA recuses himself
Key takeaways
- Judge Phillip Hays grew up in Lubbock -- where the lawsuit was filed -- and earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Texas Tech.
- The NCAA prohibits student-athletes from betting on any NCAA-sanctioned sport, professional or collegiate.
- In the lawsuit, Sorsby acknowledged that in his first year at Indiana, he wagered between $5 and $50 on the Hoosiers football team to win and made prop bets on teammates to exceed statistical predictions.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Judge Phillip Hays grew up in Lubbock -- where the lawsuit was filed -- and earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Texas Tech. Hays recused himself with no explanation in a court filing Wednesday, Bloomberg reported, and the administrative judge who will pick Hays' replacement has no ties to the school.
Sorsby -- who has acknowledged wagering on sports, including on his own team his freshman season at Indiana in 2022 -- filed for an injunction against the NCAA on Monday that would allow him to play for the Red Raiders this season after he was one of the biggest transfers of the offseason.
The NCAA prohibits student-athletes from betting on any NCAA-sanctioned sport, professional or collegiate. Penalties can include permanent ineligibility, especially in cases in which athletes wagered on their own team or manipulated their performance.