FRISCO, Texas — After a summer of discontent in Lubbock, players that don’t play for Texas Tech were being asked about the fallout of the gambling scandal around former quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
After an NCAA investigation, the quarterback admitted to placing thousands of bets over several years, including on teams he played for, and was suspended as he admitted to a gambling addiction and sought help. The scandal got worse after Sorsby won an injunction in court that allowed him to be a part of Tech’s team and the week that followed was among the among the most tumultuous in recent college sports history.
Sorsby and Tech eventually parted ways, but it does beg the question — what are schools doing to reinforce the message around gambling for its student-athletes. BYU defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa was asked if his head coach, Kalani Sitake, had any message after everything that happened in Lubbock.
“Kalani teaches us to do the small things right, so in relation to everything that’s gone on out there with the media, it’s just continue to be the best version of ourselves,” Tanuvasa said during an interview with reports at the The Star in Frisco. “It’s a tricky world out there, so we just have to be the best version that we can be in every room we enter.”
He also had a message for Tech and for Sorsby
Keanu Tanuvasa’s Message to Tech, Sorsby
He was also asked if during the controversy he was hoping that Sorsby would play for the Red Raiders. He sidestepped that a bit, turning the question in what he hoped for both Sorsby and Tec and what hopes for at the end of the season — a rematch.
“I just wanted the best for him as an individual, and I wanted the best for Tech, whether it was with him or without him,” Tanuvasa said. “I hope they’re the best team that they can be. And if we get the chance to play them this year, because they’re not on our schedule right now, I’ll look forward to playing them and getting our revenge this year.”
The Cougars and the Red Raiders met in last year’s Big 12 Championship game, with Texas Tech beating BYU, winning the league title and earning the conference’s only berth in the College Football Playoff. The Cougars are picked by most to finish behind the Red Raiders in the conference, which would imply a rematch when the Big 12 Championship game is played in December at AT&T Stadium.
