NFL Declines 2026 Supplemental Draft for Brendan Sorsby as Late Petition Lacked Documentation
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Jun 23
NFL Declines 2026 Supplemental Draft for Brendan Sorsby as Late Petition Lacked Documentation
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jun 23
Summary
Three business days before the June 22 deadline, Brendan Sorsby filed for the 2026 supplemental draft, but the NFL said the late, unsupported petition left too little time for review and declined to hold the draft.
The league's letter said Sorsby applied only after dropping litigation over NCAA sanctions and failed to adequately address the gambling conduct that made him ineligible; the NFL also had no prior plans to stage a draft for the lone applicant.
Jeffrey Kessler, Sorsby's attorney, called the decision a violation of the CBA and law and said he would pursue the matter with the NFLPA, though the draft would have needed to occur by July 15 or 16.
Texas Tech already withdrew support for Sorsby's 2026 eligibility, and dismissing his NCAA lawsuit restored his permanent college ineligibility, leaving legal action or waiting for the 2027 NFL draft as his main paths.