Somebody blinked.
Texas Tech lost the battle in the courtroom of public opinion when they thought sports fans outside Lubbock, Texas would empathize with a player fighting a mental health demon fighting against the NCAA. Instead, they found a public who felt bad for the QB and also wanted the same QB to feel the consequences for his actions.
At the end of the day, pressure from the Big 12 office and the conference’s athletic directors and head coaches likely forced the Red Raiders’ hand to negotiate an exit based on mutually agreeable terms and an air-tight non-disclosure agreement.
When public opinion is on the NCAA’s side, you know you’re going to lose in the end.