Texas Tech announced the NCAA has denied the school’s petition to have Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility reinstated after he acknowledged wagering on sports, including on his own team when he was a freshman.

The university said it is investigating whether the professor’s comments, which it described as “hateful, antisemitic, and unacceptable,” found their way into the classroom or work environment.

This fall, two Texas universities found themselves in regions of the state engulfed in some of the worst coronavirus surges seen across the nation: the University of Texas at El Paso and Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Texas Tech also bucked national trends and allowed tailgating to continue before football games, which had fewer spectators. At its peak, 415 Texas Tech students tested positive for the virus in one week in late August. Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec talks to Keith Kiser before Texas Tech’s homecoming game against West Virginia. Texas Tech officials said they are going to be stricter about enforcing mask policies throughout the games than they were during the football season.

The 350 students returning to the Texas Tech campus represent a small fraction of the 10,278 who are enrolled in the second round of summer courses, university President Lawrence Schovanec told The Texas Tribune. Texas Tech UniversityAround 350 students returned to Texas Tech Universitys sprawling grounds in Lubbock on Tuesday, resuming in-person classes for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic closed the campus in March. As late as July 1, Texas State University in San Marcos was set to open doors for an in-person summer session beginning earlier this week. Garrett Casey, a rising senior at Texas Tech, said hes viewing in-person classes with some trepidation. Texas Tech staff members like Ian Barba are also wary of students being back on campus.