Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark missteps on Brendan Sorsby unnecessary, unseemly
· Yahoo Sports
Brett Yormark handled the Sorsby Saga splendidly.
Until he didn’t.
Visit biznow.biz for more information.
And his missteps came in the most public of places.
Didn’t have to be that way either.
Earlier this week, at Big 12 Football Media Days, the conference commissioner opened the proceedings with his annual state-of-the-league address. Yormark’s scripted remarks offered no mention of Brendan Sorsby. No acknowledgement of the transfer quarterback who has admitted to betting repeatedly on his old team but who was supported wholeheartedly by his new team, Texas Tech. No talk of the way league leaders and schools banded together and filed a lawsuit that essentially said betting on your own team is perhaps the one remaining sin in college athletics that is a non-starter.
Maybe that should’ve been a sign of trouble.
Instead of recognizing the biggest story of the offseason and his league’s role in it, Yormark thought, what exactly? That hundreds of reporters gathered at The Star in Frisco, Texas, would forget it happened? That no one would ask about it during the question-and-answer session?
Pfffft.
The first question was about Sorsby, who ultimately decided to leave Texas Tech and college football.
Just curious if, throughout the Brendan Sorsby situation, you supported Texas Tech at any point, and if that changed, what may have caused you to change your mind?
Legit question, by the way. We know little of what happened behind closed doors as Yormark and the Big 12 worked through this. Trying to pull back the curtain could lead to important details.
After saying he appreciated the question — Yormark says that to almost every query — he deflected.
“Today is not the time to address that issue,” he said. “Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools, but I appreciate the question, so thank you.”
Two things.
First, Big 12 media days were actually the perfect time to address the issue. It was the first time Yormark had spoken publicly to a big group since everything happened, and crisis-management specialists will tell you that the quicker you acknowledge the situation, the quicker the air will clear.
Remember when OU tailback Joe Mixon punched a woman?
Of course you do, and part of the reason why is that months passed before he ever talked about it. No doubt that had something to do with the legal case still pending, but not having Mixon give a prepared statement or something (anything!) caused a cloud to hang over the Sooners’ season.
But do you remember when OSU guard Marcus Smart shoved a fan?
The details of that encounter at Texas Tech are probably a little hazier. That is due in part to the fact that less than 24 hours after the incident, Smart did a press conference and apologized for what he’d done. Even though witnesses believe a racial slur was used by Orr, Smart didn’t make any excuses.
The shelf life of the whole incident was extremely short.
Crisis Management 101.
And yet, Yormark was convinced media days weren’t the right time to talk Sorsby.
Sigh.
Now, a report by Yahoo! Sports may shed light on why Yormark tried to deflect. Ross Dellenger reported that officials from the Big 12 and Texas Tech met a week ago to try to mend their relationship and move forward.
A worthy endeavor for sure, but to move forward, you have to acknowledge what’s behind.
Yormark didn’t do that, and he got confirmation about how things can fester when they linger. Lubbock radio personality Sean Collins asked a long and winding question that brought up some old Red Raider gripes — for instance, the league banned Texas Tech fans from throwing tortillas on the field but granted an exemption to Oklahoma State students who pound massive wooden paddles against the padding around the field walls — as well as a more recent perceived bias.
Sorsby never played a snap for the Red Raiders, and yet, there’s a lawsuit. Cincinnati has yet to be touched. You’re selling greater than 12 — why should Texas Tech fans believe that?
Aside No. 1: Sorsby transferred to Tech from Cincinnati, where it’s believed he bet on the Bearcats, but his only gambling admission involved Indiana, where he played before Cincy.
Aside No. 2: The NCAA, it has been reported, has opened an inquiry related to Sorsby at Cincy.
Yormark’s response?
“Let me come closer to you,” he said as he walked across the stage. “Stand up, and ask that question again, and I’m going to give you the answer I want to give you.”
Collins asked again.
Yormark’s response?
“No, I didn’t say ‘greater than 12.’ You misquoted me. I said we’re going forward as 16 strong, and that’s my answer to your question, but thank you for that question. Appreciate it.”
That exchange, of course, became the story of Big 12 media days. Collins’ question wasn’t perfect, but Yormark looked like a bully. Or maybe more like a wannabe tough guy.
Either way, it wasn’t a good look for Yormark or the Big 12.
Worse, it didn’t have to be that way.
Both the commissioner and the conference deserve praise for standing up to Sorsby and Texas Tech. In recent years, rules have been bent and twisted in so many ways that they’re practically unrecognizable. But when the good folks in Lubbock decided it’d be OK to play a guy (a quarterback no less!) who’d admitted to repeatedly betting on his own team, the conference leaders stood up, locked arms and said no.
That doesn’t mean Yormark should have taken a victory lap at Big 12 media days, but clearly, he has a belief about gambling’s place in college sports.
“I’ll just start off by saying integrity for the game is critically important,” he said. “For all sports in this conference, we will continue to work with our student-athletes to educate them and to help guide them in this new environment.
“You know, when I grew up, sports betting wasn’t so available as it is today. It’s a different world that student-athletes are growing up in, and they need to be educated, and that’s the role that we are taking alongside of our member institutions.”
Yormark said that in response to a question about how the Big 12 could ensure internal resolution on a situation like this in the future without having to take it to court.
The truth is, he really didn’t answer that question, but he gave an answer that was insightful, thoughtful and even personal. It was the kind of thing he should’ve said in his opening remarks, then as questions were asked about Sorsby and gambling, he could’ve given a variation on the same theme.
Doing so would’ve highlighted what was important to him and the league, and without reopening old wounds with Texas Tech, it would’ve reminded everyone that Yormark and the Big 12 did the right thing.
Nary a misstep along the way.
But then Yormark climbed onto that media-day stage, and it was like he suddenly forgot how to walk. He stumbled and faltered so much that it’s a wonder he didn’t fall right off.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark missteps on Brendan Sorsby unnecessary, unseemly