{"id":4555,"date":"2026-06-18T14:05:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4555"},"modified":"2026-06-18T14:05:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:05:45","slug":"bianchi-after-standing-up-to-texas-tech-commissioner-brett-yormark-and-the-big-12-are-the-new-heroes-of-college-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4555","title":{"rendered":"Bianchi: After standing up to Texas Tech, Commissioner Brett Yormark and the Big 12 are the new heroes of college athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Running off at the typewriter. \u2026<\/p>\n

Last week, I argued that the Big 12 faced a defining moment.<\/p>\n

Would Commissioner Brett Yormark, UCF and the rest of the conference membership stand up for the integrity of college athletics, or would they surrender to the growing reality Nick Saban recently described before Congress \u2014 a world in which every NCAA rule is merely an invitation to file a lawsuit?<\/p>\n

Read more Asking Eric: He made me laugh and also cringe. The cringing won out.<\/a><\/p>\n

Now we have our answer.<\/p>\n

The Big 12 stood up.<\/p>\n

And Texas Tech backed down.<\/p>\n

And college athletics is better for it.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, the conference took the extraordinary step of filing a federal lawsuit seeking to preserve its ability to sanction Texas Tech if it chose to field quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who admitted to extensive sports gambling activity that included betting on his own team.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The filing sent a powerful message, and hours later, Sorsby announced plans to enter the NFL supplemental draft, effectively ending the immediate standoff. But make no mistake, the most important development wasn\u2019t Sorsby\u2019s decision; it was the conference\u2019s willingness to fight.<\/p>\n

That matters because Texas Tech was hardly some expendable member institution. The Red Raiders are the defending Big 12 champions and arguably the conference\u2019s best hope of earning a coveted College Football Playoff berth this season.<\/p>\n

Yet Yormark and the league\u2019s presidents recognized something larger than wins and losses. They actually understood that the credibility of competition itself was at stake.<\/p>\n

For more than a century, sports has operated under a simple principle: participants cannot bet on the games they could possibly influence. The reason isn\u2019t complicated. Once athletes wager on their own sport, public trust begins to erode. Fans question outcomes. Opponents question motives. The legitimacy of the competition comes under scrutiny.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Big 12 understood that reality.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech, however, preferred a different narrative.<\/p>\n

School officials repeatedly framed their support of Sorsby as a matter of compassion and mental health.<\/p>\n

Puh-leeze.<\/p>\n

Nobody disputes that gambling addiction is serious. Nobody disputes that Sorsby deserves treatment, counseling and support.<\/p>\n

But participation is not treatment, and being a starting quarterback for a national title contender is not a medical necessity.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech could have supported Sorsby\u2019s recovery without making him the face of its football program. It could have demonstrated compassion while simultaneously acknowledging that actions carry consequences.<\/p>\n

Instead, the school chose a path that looked suspiciously convenient for a team with championship aspirations.<\/p>\n

Read more Game time: LEVEL99 sets opening date for Disney Springs location<\/a><\/p>\n

The rest of college athletics noticed. The Big 12 noticed. And ultimately the conference decided protecting its reputation was more important than protecting a contender.<\/p>\n

Contrast that with what occurred in the Big Ten during Michigan\u2019s sign-stealing scandal. While the Wolverines marched toward a national championship three years ago, the conference imposed a limited suspension on Jim Harbaugh but never seriously challenged Michigan\u2019s ability to continue pursuing college football\u2019s biggest prize.<\/p>\n

The Big 12 took a different approach here. Rather than shrugging and hoping the controversy disappeared, conference leaders made clear they were prepared to use every available tool to defend what they viewed as the integrity of the league.<\/p>\n

That is exactly what conferences are supposed to do. College athletics desperately needs governing bodies willing to enforce standards even when doing so is inconvenient.<\/p>\n

Correction: ESPECIALLY when it is inconvenient.<\/p>\n

The Big 12 didn\u2019t choose the easy path. It chose the right one.<\/p>\n

In an era when lawsuits, politicians and judges increasingly dictate the rules of college sports,\u00a0 Yormark and the Big 12 membership reminded everyone that conferences still have a responsibility to protect the games themselves.<\/p>\n

For one day at least, integrity won.<\/p>\n

SHORT STUFF:<\/strong> The three stipulations Iran must accept to end the war with the United States: (1) Freeze nuclear activity. (2) Reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (3) Pay Mike Norvell\u2019s buyout at Florida State. \u2026 At 38-years-old, the legendary Lionel Messi became the oldest player to ever record a hat trick at the World Cup. It seems that not even Father Time can defend the Magnificent Messi \u2026 Overall, the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs averaged 20.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen, the highest since the 1998 series between Chicago and Utah when Michael Jordan won his sixth and final NBA title. Who knew that the only thing as compelling as MJ\u2019s dynasty was a Knicks team with legitimate hope. And, by the way, congratulations to Jalen Brunson for winning Finals Most Valuable Player, but judging by the post-game arrest reports during the series, my vote for the MVP went to the NYPD. \u2026<\/p>\n

Boxer Floyd Mayweather is facing two felony charges alleging theft and \u201cintent to defraud\u201d by passing a bad check to purchase a fancy-smancy $200,000 wrist watch in Las Vegas. It seems \u201cMoney\u201d Mayweather should change his name to Funny Money Mayweather. \u2026 The winning golfer in this week\u2019s U.S. Open will get $4.3 million. LIV Golf used to call that sort of money chump change, but now they call it next season\u2019s entire operating budget. \u2026 My three favorites at the U.S. Open this weekend: (1) Scottie Scheffler. (2) Rory McIlroy. (3) The USGA\u2019s sadistic course superintendent. \u2026 The Jacksonville Jaguars are auctioning off the wig Trevor Lawrence wore during their schedule release video that fooled many fans into thinking he was actually cutting his famous long, blond hair. The wig is the biggest joke the franchise has played on its fans since the hiring of Urban Meyer. \u2026<\/p>\n

Sorry, Jalen Brunson, but Saban is still the greatest Nick of all-time! \u2026 It took only one NBA Finals appearance for Wemby to go from the fresh new face of the NBA to the biggest villain in the NBA. The transformation was so fast it almost qualifies as a Eurostep through public opinion. \u2026 Eight different franchises have won NBA championships in the last eight seasons. I guess you could say dynasties and dominance have been replaced by, \u201cHey, we\u2019ll figure it out in May and June.\u201d \u2026 Can you believe they held a UFC fight night on the White House lawn? Then again, I guess it\u2019s appropriate. Nothing defines today\u2019s America like politics that feel less like governance and more like a pay-per-view main event. \u2026<\/p>\n

LAST WORD:<\/strong> With today being Juneteenth, let us never forget the words of the late, great Muhammad Ali: \u201cDon\u2019t count the days. Make the days count.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Central Florida receives heat advisory for hot, muggy and wet Thursday<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Big 12 stood up to Texas Tech, a homer judge and the pom-pom waving attorney general in Texas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columnists","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nBianchi: After standing up to Texas Tech, Commissioner Brett Yormark and the Big 12 are the new heroes of college athletics - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4555\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bianchi: After standing up to Texas Tech, Commissioner Brett Yormark and the Big 12 are the new heroes of college athletics - 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