Cincinnati has been cleared of wrongdoing by the NCAA following an investigation tied to former quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s extensive sports gambling activity.
The university said Wednesday that the NCAA’s enforcement staff has closed its inquiry, with no penalties assessed against Cincinnati, its coaches or other athletes.
Sorsby was determined to have committed a Level III violation due to prohibited wagering while with the Bearcats. The NCAA describes Level III violations as isolated or limited in scope.
“All penalties for this violation are attached to the student-athlete and not the institution or other coaches, staff members or student-athletes,” Cincinnati said in a statement.
The inquiry was an offshoot of the NCAA investigation that ultimately cost Sorsby the remainder of his college eligibility.
Court filings in Sorsby’s subsequent legal battle with the NCAA showed that he placed over 9,000 sports wagers totaling at least $90,000 during a college career that included stops at Indiana and Cincinnati before he transferred to Texas Tech in January. The wagers included at least 40 bets on Indiana football while he was a member of the Hoosiers.
While at Cincinnati, Sorsby made at least 165 bets, comprising around 500 individual wagers when including parlay legs, with a total amount of at least $38,000, according to court filings.
Questions about Cincinnati’s handling of Sorsby surfaced this offseason after his departure. His agent, Ron Slavin, alleged in June that the school had known about Sorsby’s gambling for two years, an assertion Cincinnati disputed.
While with the Bearcats in August 2024, Sorsby triggered an alert through the school’s gambling-integrity monitoring system while attempting to wager on UFC. Cincinnati’s compliance department subsequently interviewed him and provided additional education about NCAA gambling rules.
Sorsby challenged his NCAA punishment in Texas state court and briefly regained his eligibility under a temporary injunction. He later abandoned the case and tried to enter the NFL through the supplemental draft, but the league elected not to hold one this year.
He will instead be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati and Sorsby remain involved in a separate dispute over a $1 million buyout connected to his departure for Texas Tech.
