“I’m shocked. Shocked,” were the likely words mouthed by NCAA and sports book officials.

Should they be, though? Nearly all human beings have at least a touch of greed in them — some more than others — and a get-rich-quick scheme can be hard to turn down, even as the Name, Image and Likeness era dawns.

That’s the irony, though. In a time when some college coaches are the highest-paid public employees in their respective states and a select few college athletes are deservedly benefitting from the huge revenue they help create for their schools, there’s seemingly more incentive than ever to roll the dice.

This week, The Associated Press reported that Americans have wagered $220 billion in the five years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled sports gambling legal in any state that chooses to allow it. It’s provided millions in additional state revenue (and even more for the legal bookies). 

But last week, the University of Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon after an investigation into betting irregularities over a recent game against top-ranked LSU. Alabama’s ace pitcher, Luke Holman, was scratched due to back tightness just before game time, and LSU won 8-6, while suspicious betting activity was reported at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

No criminal charges have yet been filed. But the dust in Tuscaloosa hadn’t even settled when the University of Iowa reported Monday that  it’s investigating 111 people, including 26 athletes across five sports, over sports wagering. Those athletes are being held out of competition for the moment.

Meanwhile, Iowa State officials confirmed that “approximately 15” of its athletes in wrestling, football and track and field may have violated NCAA gambling rules, which prohibit betting on any sport in which it conducts a national championship.

These cases — and likely many more that have yet to be reported — may or may not have anything in common. There’s no evidence yet that any athletes shaved points or did anything to compromise the integrity of their games.

But it would be naive to think it can’t happen. The NCAA had to be dragged into the NIL era and isn’t remotely prepared to deal with gambling.

“This is probably just the tip of the iceberg,” Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, told The AP Tuesday. “In surveys, the athletes self-report a high rate of gambling participation and sports betting. It wouldn’t surprise us if there’s more problems that surface.”

America’s most infamous cheating scandal involved the 1919 Chicago “Black Sox.” Despite legal acquittals and claims of innocence, eight players — including certain Hall of Famer “Shoeless” Joe Jackson — were banned for life for allegedly taking money to throw the World Series.

Those were the days when pro athletes had to work other jobs in the off-season to make ends meet. Now that Lamar Jackson earns $52 million annually, it’s almost impossible to get a pro to throw a game. In fact, pro leagues are now partnering with sports books to get a slice of the billion-dollar pie.

Maybe an official like disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy could be coerced into affecting the point spread of the games he worked. Pete Rose was also banned for betting on baseball, although there’s little evidence that he ever wagered against the Cincinnati Reds team that he managed. Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley sat out last season, joining Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Alex Karras from the 1960s in year-long bans. 

College athletes? That could be another story. Even with campus stars able to make hundreds of thousands of NIL dollars, most of their teammates aren’t driving late-model cars or influencing anyone on social media.

Basketball players at the City College of New York in the 1950s and Boston College in the 1970s were embroiled in points-shaving scandals, and there have been other incidences at other schools.

Now that legal gambling is almost omnipresent (and as easy as a tap on your phone), the temptation to bet (or overbet, or facilitate others who do) will only grow for anyone who’s short on cash. That includes athletes, coaches or anyone who may have inside information about an unreported injury to a star player.

Gambling isn’t going away, and neither are the problems associated with it. The only answer is eternal vigilance, but don’t hold your breath on that one, either.