ESPN News Services2 Minute Read
The University of Iowa announced Monday that 26 athletes across five sports are suspected of wagering on sports in violation of NCAA rules, and more than 100 people have been linked to an investigation.
In addition, Iowa State acknowledged that some 15 of its athletes across three sports also are suspected of violating gambling rules.
It was not known whether any of the athletes are suspected of making wagers on contests in which they participated.
The announcements come days after Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon amid an investigation into suspicious betting activity on the Crimson Tide’s game against LSU on April 28. Sportsbook surveillance video indicated that the person who placed the bets was communicating with Bohannon at the time, multiple sources with direct information about the investigation told ESPN. That investigation is ongoing.
NCAA rules prohibit athletes, coaches and staff from betting on amateur, collegiate and professional sports in which the NCAA conducts a championship. For example, athletes cannot bet on NFL games even if state laws would legally allow them to do so if they weren’t competing under NCAA rules.
The Iowa Gaming Commission confirmed earlier Monday that it is investigating Iowa athletics after the university announced Friday that it withheld athletes from competition because of a potential NCAA violation.
“There is an ongoing investigation into these matters and we are unable to comment further at this time,” the Iowa Gaming Commission said in a statement. “The Commission takes the integrity of gaming in the state seriously and is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide any additional information when able.”
On Friday, Iowa released a statement saying it had “withheld some student-athletes from competition” due to “a potential NCAA violation.” The statement was released after an Iowa-Ohio State baseball game in response to why an unnamed student-athlete was not in the lineup.
A spokesperson for the NCAA told ESPN in an email that, “Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA does not comment on current, pending or potential investigations.”
Iowa is among the 33 states that has launched legal betting markets in the last five years, since a decision from the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal statute that had restricted regulated sports betting to primarily Nevada.
ESPN’s David Purdum and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
