Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell addresses Ken Paxton Senate donation
Texas Tech’s Board of Regents Chairman Cody Campbell says there was nothing nefarious about a June donation to Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign.
The $274,300 donation to one of Paxton’s fundraising committees has drawn headlines because of its proximity to a letter Paxton’s office sent to the Big 12 Conference amid the debate over former Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility after he was found to be placing sports bets as a college player, including on his own team, in violation of NCAA rules.
Campbell, who lives in Fort Worth and is a former Tech offensive lineman, made the contribution on June 10. The next day, Paxton’s office wrote to the conference warning that sanctioning Tech for supporting Sorsby was against the law and would carry consequences.
“If I wanted to make a nefarious deal, there are plenty of places and ways to do so,” Campbell said in a Friday evening interview with the Star-Telegram. “That was not at all what happened. I contributed because I wanted to support the race.”
Paxton faces State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat, in the Nov. 3 general election.
Campbell emphasized that he’s a longtime Republican donor. Federal and state election records show him contributing to statewide candidates Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. John Cornyn, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, as well as Tarrant County congressional candidates and state legislative candidates. He has also donated to Paxton in past elections.
Campbell, the co-founder and co-CEO of Fort Worth-based Double Eagle Energy Holdings, has donated at least $25 million toward Tech’s athletic program. The university named the Jones AT&T Stadium playing field Cody Campbell Field to recognize what was the largest one-time contribution ever made to the athletics department.
He’s a board member of Tech’s NIL collective, which has paid more $60 million to Tech athletes since 2022.
Campbell said he hasn’t spoken to Paxton about the situation involving Sorsby and wasn’t aware of the office’s plan to send the Big 12 letter. Campbell spoke with Paxton and his fundraising team on May 27, the day after he won a runoff election against Cornyn, and hasn’t since, he said.
“The Sorsby thing wasn’t even on the radar at that point,” Campbell said. “So, there’s nothing to be discussed. If I had discussed it with them, it wouldn’t be out of line for me to do so.”
Paxton’s office at the time said the letter was sent on behalf of its client, Texas Tech University, a public institution. It followed a temporary injunction that cleared the way for Sorsby to play after he was declared ineligible for betting on college sports.
The NCAA had deemed him ineligible after learning he’d wagered thousands on professional and college sports, including on the Indiana Hoosiers when he was a freshman there.
Campbell said the donation falling the day after the letter from Paxton’s office was a coincidence.
“I didn’t have anything to do with the letter being written,” he said.
It’s a “completely normal course of business for any state institution to have constant contact with the attorney general’s office,” Campbell said.
“I think it’s irresponsible to report or imply that this contribution had some conditions tied to it,” Campbell said.
Spokespersons for Paxton’s campaign and office and the Texas Tech system did not immediately return requests for comment.
