Texas Tech University Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell has come under scrutiny for donating $274,300 to a fundraising committee supporting Ken Paxton in his bid for U.S. Senate just one day before Paxton sent a June 11 letter warning the Big 12 Conference on behalf of Texas Tech that any move to sanction the university for fielding Brendon Sorsby would be “unlawful” and potentially expose it to $200 million in damages.
The donation was revealed in new finance records filed with the Federal Election Committee.
Campbell, a former Texas Tech lineman who has donated at least $25 million to the school’s athletics program, was appointed to the board of regents in 2021 and became chair in 2025, has supported TTU quarterback Sorsby’s eligibility and defended his right to play. Campbell has also made other political donations in the past to Paxton and other candidates.
Sorsby admitted to placing thousands of improper sports bets, including on his own team’s games, resulting in the NCAA declaring him ineligible to play.
Texas Tech announced in May that Sorsby had been ruled ineligible by the NCAA to participate in the upcoming football season after court documents found he had placed at least $90,000 in sports bets while attending Texas Tech and playing football at two other universities on his own teams. It was reported he sent money to other states to bet on his behalf. Sports betting is illegal in Texas.
Sorsby, who had taken leave from Texas Tech to receive inpatient treatment for his gambling addiction, sued to regain his eligibility. On June 8, a state district judge in Lubbock temporarily blocked the NCAA from prohibiting Sorsby from playing most of the upcoming season.
On June 11, according to a press release by Paxton’s office, the attorney general. was informed that the Big 12 and schools within the conference were considering sanctioning Texas Tech for honoring the temporary injunction order and continuing its support of Sorsby as a student-athlete.
Shortly after, the Big 12 sued Paxton, the Texas Tech University System, Chancellor Brandon Creighton, Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec and athletic director Kirby Hocutt, with the conference saying in the complaint, “ The Big 12 and its member Institutions … have no interest in being required to endorse or even appearing to endorse unethical and indeed unlawful conduct that strikes at the heart of athletic integrity,” arguing that Paxton Texas Tech were infringing on the conference’s First Amendment right to enforce its bylaws.
The Paxton lawsuit and political donation have led to intense public backlash over a potential “pay-toplay” dynamic after the timing was revealed on the donation. From ESPN radio to college football podcasts, Paxton was criticized for making Texas Tech look bad and fans angry saying it undermined the spirit of the game.
Sorsby withdrew his lawsuit and declared for the NFL supplemental draft, but the league chose not to hold a supplemental draft. He must now wait to enter the 2027 NFL Draft.
Though the eligibility conflict ended when Texas Tech announced Sorsby’s departure, the broader legal fight over the conference’s governance and antitrust laws remains.