Texas AG threatens Big 12 with legal action regarding Texas Tech, Brendan Sorsby
Paxton's response is to various league members who are against Texas Tech allowing Brendan Sorsby, who broke NCAA rules, to play.
Olivia Bennett 
The high-stakes standoff between Texas Tech, its quarterback Brendan Sorsby, and the Big 12 has reached a new level of intensity with the arrival of a heavy-hitting new participant: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Paxton Issues Strong Warning to Big 12
In an official letter sent Thursday, Paxton warned the conference that any move to sanction Texas Tech or Sorsby would trigger significant legal repercussions. The state is prepared to pursue damages exceeding $200 million should the league attempt to intervene.
"We are aware that the Big 12 is considering invoking Bylaw 3.6 of the Big 12’s Bylaws to sanction Texas Tech for respecting the Order and continuing its support of Mr. Sorsby as a student-athlete," Paxton wrote. He further argued that such sanctions would constitute a "per se violation of federal and state antitrust laws," characterizing the potential move as a "naked horizontal agreement among competitors to disadvantage Texas Tech."
The Root of the Conflict
The controversy ignited after Sorsby, who had been banned by the NCAA for violating gambling rules, successfully filed an injunction to regain his eligibility. The NCAA policy typically mandates that student-athletes found guilty of gambling infractions lose their remaining eligibility.
Following the court's decision to allow Sorsby back on the field, the reaction from the collegiate community was swift. Several programs expressed their intent to remove Texas Tech from their schedules, and individual Big 12 members began discussing potential league-level disciplinary action.
In his letter, Paxton emphasized that the state would not stand by as the university's recruitment, alumni contributions, and football revenues face potential damage. "The Conference would face exposure to treble damages... The total exposure — for both the Big 12 and its members, joint and severally — will be substantially more than $200 million," he stated.
The Big 12 Board of Directors is slated to convene next week, where they are expected to discuss and potentially vote on possible sanctions against Texas Tech.
