The NCAA announced Thursday that 13 men’s basketball players from six schools are being investigated for gambling conspiracies that allegedly included betting against their teams.
None of the players — they were not named because the investigations are ongoing — remain at the schools. They all also allegedly violated NCAA rules by sharing insider information, conspiring to manipulate player prop bets, and refusing to participate in the ensuing inquests.
The schools: Arizona State, Eastern Michigan, Mississippi Valley State, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T, and Temple.
This isn’t the first time that Arizona State has been in the spotlight for a betting scandal. The 1984 team was embroiled in a point-shaving scandal involving guard Stevin “Hedake” Smith.
The NCAA release said that no punishment is immediately being sought against any school and ruled out that any staff had participated in the alleged gambling activity. The NCAA released the information, it said, because media outlets had previously published incomplete lists of the schools under investigation.
Said NCAA President Charlie Baker in the release: “The NCAA monitors over 22,000 contests every year and will continue to aggressively pursue competition integrity risks such as these. I am grateful for the NCAA enforcement team’s relentless work and for the schools’ cooperation in these matters. The rise of sports betting is creating more opportunity for athletes across sports to engage in this unacceptable behavior, and while legalized sports betting is here to stay, regulators and gaming companies can do more to reduce these integrity risks by eliminating prop bets and giving sports leagues a seat at the table when setting policies.”
Unusual bets, tips, text messages
The NCAA launched investigations last season when integrity monitors flagged unsusal betting activity involving regular-season games for the involved universities. The NCAA enforcement wing and a “network of sources” substantiated claims, it said, using in some cases, text messages, direct messages on social media platforms, “and other material evidence.”
Such was the case in an investigation into Fresno State and San Jose State men’s basketball irregularities investigated last year. In that case, three players originally at Fresno State were under investigation. One ultimately transferred to San Jose State. The NCAA Wednesday announced the permanent revoking of eligibility of Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez, Jr., and Jalen Weaver.
Sports Illustrated reported a month ago that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is in the advanced stages of investigating a wide-reaching gambling conspiracy involving “Southern schools.” This alleged activity, which is reported to be connected to the investigation that snared banned former NBA player Jontay Porter, will soon yield indictments, according to Sports Illustrated.
