Ex-UC Bearcats QB Brendan Sorsby's future may rest with attorney hire

A 72-year-old attorney could play a huge factor in whether or not a 22-year-old quarterback plays football again. Jeffrey Kessler has confirmed to The Enquirer and Cincinnati . com that he is representing former University of Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who left for Texas Tech for a reported $5 million.

After playing in Texas Tech's spring game with four touchdown passes on April 17, then hosting a kids football camp in Lubbock , Texas, on April 25, Sorsby checked into a residential facility for gambling addiction on April 27. The move coincided with a report that Sorsby had gambled on Indiana University football games as a freshman in 2022. He is also said to have bet on balls and strikes at Cincinnati Reds games via a gambling app, even though Big 12 student-athlete phones are supposed to have the ProhiBet app, which would trigger alarms to such activity.

A UC program source has told The Enquirer, "No one inside the UC Athletics Department was aware of any illegal gambling. The University would not knowingly play an athlete involved in illegal gambling. " Prominent sports, anti-trust attorney Jeffrey Kessler enters picture Kessler is the co-executive chairman of the New York firm Winston & Strawn.

USA Today named him one of the 25 Most Powerful People in college sports last August. Sports Business Journal named him among the 50 Most Influential in Sports Business in 2015, 2021 and 2024 and among the Most Influential in the last 25 years last December. In September 2024, Sports Illustrated had him on their Power List among the Top 50 most influential people in sports.