Joey McGuire: Texas Tech would have done things differently with Brendan Sorsby if he knew NFL would 'blackball him'

McGuire was direct about his frustration as Week 1 approaches in Lubbock. He used the word "blackball" to describe what Goodell did to Sorsby, and said that if he had seen that coming, Texas Tech would have taken a different approach when the situation first became public.

The fallout from the gambling scandal leaves Sorsby unable to play football at any level during the 2026 season. That ban covers not just the NFL but every level of the game, a significant consequence for a quarterback whose college eligibility was already tangled up in the controversy.

For Red Raider fans watching the depth chart heading into the season, this matters. McGuire is stuck reflecting on decisions made under incomplete information, and the player at the center of it all sits out an entire year with no professional or collegiate outlet. That is a hard outcome for everyone involved, and McGuire is not hiding that it bothers him.

The Red Raiders move forward without a quarterback who was once part of their plans.