FRISCO, Texas (AP) 鈥� Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said it has been business as usual in the football operation through the turmoil surrounding the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga.
The 54-year-old Texas native credited the school’s leadership and boosters when asked at on Tuesday how he has managed an offseason he couldn’t have imagined in his younger coaching days.
鈥淲e鈥檝e all been in this together,鈥� McGuire said. 鈥淚 have good mentors, and I have a very strong football team. If you would walk into that building from right now, or even January, any point of this saga, the football side of it, you wouldn鈥檛 think that anything was wrong, different.鈥�
McGuire again defended the school’s support of Sorsby, including the plan to let him play even after the Cincinnati transfer admitted he when he was a freshman with the Hoosiers.
Sorsby played the past two seasons with the Bearcats before joining the defending Big 12 champion Red Raiders on a lucrative deal for his name, image and likeness.
The QB to regain his eligibility after the NCAA suspended him for gambling, and has said he will wait until .
Texas Tech, which went 12-2 last season, stood behind Sorsby when he went to rehab over his gambling and after he .
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to ever change that I鈥檓 going have my players鈥� backs,鈥� McGuire said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really easy to tell a mom or a dad that you鈥檙e going to be there to help their son grow into the man they鈥檙e supposed to be, and then all of a sudden, whenever adversity hits, or something like the situation we had, that you turn your back on them.鈥�
McGuire said he talked to Sorsby in the past couple of days, and Sorsby is working out in the Dallas area, where he played in high school. McGuire said he expects Sorsby to make occasional trips to Lubbock and that he will have access to the school’s athletic facilities.
鈥淢y biggest thing why I want to be there is because I have addicts in my family,鈥� the coach said. 鈥淪ome of them are no longer with us. But the biggest thing for me right now is he continues to get help so there鈥檚 no relapse and he can be the person and the player that he鈥檚 meant to be.鈥�
Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. said he stayed in touch with Sorsby through the offseason after their relationship blossomed in just a few months together.
鈥淲hen we found out he was going into rehab, I sent him a quick text, 鈥業 love you, bro,鈥欌�� Carter said. 鈥淲e still text a lot to this day. So I can say our relationship is strong. It鈥檚 more than just football for me. So just being there for my brother, that鈥檚 all I can do.鈥�
Hammond could end up as Red Raiders’ starting QB
Quarterback Will Hammond started twice and came off the bench once for an injured Behren Morton before tearing the ACL in his right knee last season.
McGuire said Hammond could be ready for the season opener Sept. 5 against Abilene Christian, but it’s possible the Red Raiders could wait until the third game Sept. 18 against Houston.
Without the knee injury, Hammond might have been the projected starter this season, and Carter said he was confident in the quarterbacks regardless of Sorsby’s status.
That’s not to say Sorsby’s former teammates were indifferent toward his fate.
鈥淐oach McGuire always preaches about the 鈥榳hat鈥檚 next鈥� mentality,鈥� center and captain Sheridan Wilson said. 鈥淭his is just, unfortunately, just another 鈥榳hat鈥檚 next鈥� moment. It breaks my heart, obviously. It breaks a lot of people鈥檚 hearts because that鈥檚 a friend of ours. We鈥檇 love to have him on the team, but at the end of the day, we鈥檙e still chasing the Big 12 championship. We have to move on.鈥�
While Texas Tech officials were widely criticized over the possibility of Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders after admitting to gambling on his team’s games at Indiana, McGuire said fellow coaches were supportive behind the scenes.
Some of the criticism came after Texas Tech posted a video in which president Lawrence Schovanec, athletic director Kirby Hocutt and McGuire tried to explain their reasons for supporting Sorsby.
鈥淪ome of the statements we made, we were making them to Red Raiders,鈥� McGuire said. 鈥淚 was not going to change the public opinion across the board. What we were trying to explain in any video or anything like that was to get our fan base and our boosters and our alumni to understand exactly what we were trying to do. We owed it to them. And really that鈥檚 the only people that we owed it to.鈥�
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