A new documentary captures the fallout of the Brendan Sorsby situation at Texas Tech, including Sorsby's first public statements. "The Program" debuts Friday on Paramount+ after following the Red Raiders from January until August of this offseason.
"I know how quickly things can go wrong," Sorsby said in the documentary. "Everything can get ripped from you… I have a ton of remorse, a ton of regret. In my head, I'm thinking I just threw everything I worked for in my entire life out of the window, it's over."
Sorsby went through extensive legal drama over the offseason after it was revealed that he placed thousands of bets while a college athlete, including betting on his own team during his first season at Indiana. He was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA.
However, Sorsby became a lightning rod when he successfully sued the NCAA for eligibility. Despite the decision having legal standing, the backlash was swift. The Big 12 threatened a lawsuit against Texas Tech that could have banned them from the conference championship game, leading to Sorsby ultimately stepping away.
"You know, I expected some pushback," Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire told the film crew. "I never saw what was coming."
The documentary crew captured the team meeting where McGuire told a stunned room that Sorsby was stepping away from the team to check into gambling rehab. They also captured his return to campus after the injunction, where he expressed relief
Later, McGuire told the team that he and Sorsby had discussed it and agreed he should step away from the team.
"What he does not want to do is put this team in a situation where we play all year long and the Big 12 sanctions us to where we can't go to the Big 12 Championship, and by extension, not go to the playoff," McGuire said to the team. "Brendan Sorsby does not want to do that. So he's going to step away, and it sucks."
Sorsby told the documentary crew that his relationship with gambling dated back to his senior year of high school, when friends would cross the Texas-Oklahoma border to visit Winstar World Casino and gamble.
"I definitely liked gambling," Sorsby said. "I couldn't watch sporting activities without wanting to have something at stake.
"I gambled throughout my time at Indiana, gambled through my time at Cincinnati. Whenever I got to Tech, same deal. I made more money than I've ever made in my life, but still did it, just chasing the dopamine hit. That's where you lose yourself."
In addition to Sorsby, the documentary crew closely followed quarterback Will Hammond, who steps into a starting role. The third-year player spent the spring recovering from a torn ACL, but always expected to step into a starting role after Behren Morton's graduation.
"I think the accountability grows when you're the guy," Hammond said. "At the end of the day, I'm going to continue to grow my standard for myself."
In addition to Hammond, the documentary also took close looks at McGuire's rise to Texas Tech, team captains LB Ben Roberts and OL Sheridan Wilson, and tight end Terrance Carter. It also features conversations with megabooster Cody Campbell, who did not mince words after the Sorsby dustup with the Big 12.
"Looking back on it, I know that Texas Tech and I handled everything with integrity and we did things the right way," Campbell said. "I think this is something that could have been handled much more privately. We're not going to forget about that, and I don't think they'll forget about it either when we're up by 40 and still throwing the ball in the fourth quarter. That's where the retribution will come."
"The Program" is a four-part documentary series from director Micah Brown that debuts Friday on Paramount+. It is narrated by actor and Texas native Dennis Quaid.
