The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is this close to rescinding a rule that prohibits college players from betting on professional sports, but resources are still plowed into tracking down those who may have done so before the rule’s enforcement.
NCAA tightens the noose on six players believed to have gambled or provided inside info
With the rule yet to be rolled out, this means that any student-athlete who wagers on professional sports is subject to disciplinary action. While the NCAA has eased up on betting on pro games in theory, the association remains as adamant as ever to pursue anyone who helped rig college-level games, which may be the case involving six student-athletes.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions has revoked the eligibility of six such athletes, releasing a statement detailing potential match-fixing and game throwing by Chatton "BJ" Freeman at Arizona State; Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, and Jamond Vincent at New Orleans, and Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic at Mississippi Valley State.
The six players are accused of manipulating the performance of games to ensure that prop bets conditions were met so that co-conspirators could cash out their money. Proposition bets have been a major thorn in the NCAA’s side, as these wager types, while popular, have also been tied to the highest rate of manipulation.
In many states, they are beginning to be banned, and the NCAA itself has called for a blanket ban on college-level sports. Yet, the NCAA match-fixing scandal is hardly the only one that is rocking American sports amid growing skepticism in the fairness of the game.
Major leagues have been seized by sports betting scandals
Several leagues besides the NCAA have been targeted by accusations and revelations about, if not a deeply ingrained match-fixing culture, then at least serious transgressions pertaining to the impartiality of sports.
Two MLB pitchers are accused of having generated about $460,000 for themselves and their co-conspirators. The UFC is facing similar scrutiny at a time when the championship is preparing to host its first White House event, and the NBA is reeling from allegations that several players and coaches have helped Mafiosi bilk players out of poker money or/and sold pertinent information to influence sports betting outcomes.
The NCAA is not stopping at the six aforementioned players either, with the association now looking into 30 current and former players, examining their potential gambling transgressions.
