USF athletics, like every other school, is not immune from the threat gambling brings

Normally, we restrict this site to news about USF athletics, but today is not a normal day. A judge in Texas granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction against the NCAA's ruling that he was ineligible to play because he wagered on college sports.

USF fans are probably tempted to believe this has nothing to do with the Bulls. They would be incorrect. No program or university is immune to the possibility they could be next. It's really easy (and legal) to bet on college sports in Florida -- all you need is a phone, an app, and the chutzpah to believe you won't get caught.

Coaches and administrators can talk themselves blue in the face warning athletes about the perils of gambling, but all it takes is one little slip.

The NCAA and its member schools have strict rules against wagering on any intercollegiate athletics competition. Sorsby was declared ineligible after the NCAA found that he had total wagers of $90,000 on professional and college sports over four years. That total included 40 bets involving Indiana football when he was a freshman there in 2022.

Sorsby checked into a treatment program in Arizona for a gambling addiction and mental health anxiety. In the meantime, the NCAA ruled last Friday that he was permanently ineligible to play because of the gambling issues.

Sorsby appealed, a judge saw it his way, and here we are. If this holds, it will be another brick out of the NCAA's enforcement wall.

"The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court's ruling in Sorsby's case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of the outcome - which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports," the NCAA wrote.

"The NCAA is committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one's own sport."

But before anyone wags their finger at Sorsby, temptation is everywhere. It's common to see adds for wagering sites and casinos on just about any televised sporting event. And consider this: Multiple NCAA schools have or had controversial sponsorship deals with casinos and wagering sites.

Sky Ridge Casino is an official partner with Sacramento State athletics. Iowa State's "We Will Collective" teamed up with Elite Casino Resorts on a multi-year NIL partnership that involves charitable events, meet-and-greets, and promotional campaigns featuring Cyclone student-athletes.

LSU and Michigan State had deals with Caesars SportsBook but ended them after a public outcry. Colorado and PointsBet ended their arrangement as well over criticism the betting site was marketing to students to encourage sports wagering.

The danger of an athlete trying to bet -- even on his or her own team -- should be obvious. The athlete is privvy to inside information regarding game plans, injuries, strength of the opponent, and so on.

Even if the bet is "legal" unlike the bribery and point-shaving scandal that rocked Division I college basketball earlier this year, it still tears at the basic fabric of honest competition. Assuming the injunction holds up allowing Sorsby to play, every mistake he makes -- every pass, intereception, fumble, or incompletion at the wrong time -- will plant the seed that something nefarious was afoot.

And if the paying public begins to believe the games are rigged, the jig is up.

Again, because this is a site specializing in USF sports, none of the above is to suggest anything like this is happening on Fowler Avenue. But I wouldn't doubt that the 21 head coaches on campus have already had or soon will have blunt conversations with their athletes about gambling.

If not, they had better.

That's because to say it couldn't happen would be naive. This kind of addiction can ruin lives, and it can happen anywhere.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow