Casagrande: Time to boycott Tumbleweed Tech

This is an opinion column.

Anyone who has spent time on the playground understands the nature of true justice. When there is no referee to call the game, the participants govern themselves, and those who break the unwritten code eventually face a collective correction from their peers.

Texas Tech is currently learning that lesson the hard way. As a program that has become the poster child for NIL excess, the school went too far this time.

The Case for a Boycott

The strategy of finding a local judge to grant an injunction against the NCAA is hardly groundbreaking, but utilizing it to shield a $5 million quarterback like Brendan Sorsby—who was found to have bet on games involving his own team—has crossed a line. It has turned the tide, creating a movement for a good old-fashioned boycott.

The pushback is real. According to Yahoo Sports, athletics directors at Georgia and Nebraska have already signaled a desire to stop scheduling Texas Tech. ESPN reported Monday that the Big Ten is also expected to discuss a league-wide mandate to cease competition against the Red Raiders.

Georgia AD Josh Brooks didn't mince words, posting on social media that integrity means accountability, rather than buying legislation or using local courts to bypass regulations. Kansas State AD Gene Taylor was even more blunt, telling Yahoo Sports, "It’s f***ing bulls**t."

A Legal Mirage

The injunction issued by Judge Ken Curry effectively prevents the NCAA from enforcing a gambling policy that is universally supported throughout college sports. By bypassing the rules, the move reeks of corruption, even if the judge had no prior connection to the school. It is comparable to shielding a tax cheat from the IRS; there is no logical reason to dismantle what little remains of NCAA enforcement.

While local judges have ruled on eligibility cases before—such as the case involving Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss—the Sorsby situation feels different because the gambling rules involved are black-and-white. Texas Tech publicly supported the ruling, but if the rest of the country moves forward with a boycott, the university will face a grim reality: keep the high-priced quarterback or risk having no opponents left to play.

The NCAA has appealed the decision, taking the matter to the Seventh Court of Appeals. Interestingly, all four judges on that panel are Texas Tech alumni, which only adds to the perception that the institution is operating outside of a fair, neutral framework.

The Market Decides

Texas Tech has spent heavily on football, rising from a middle-of-the-pack team to a conference champion and CFP contender in just a year. With an oil billionaire like Cody Campbell funding their NIL efforts, the school has disrupted the traditional order of college athletics.

As this column has consistently argued, the free market should dictate the direction of college sports. If the rest of the landscape decides it no longer wants to do business with Texas Tech because of their disregard for the rules, then so be it. It is time for the playground to take over where the courtroom has failed. It is time to put Texas Tech in its place.