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Iowa State released a statement on Monday announcing that the university has notified the NCAA of gambling allegations against 15 student-athletes.
The statement noted that those facing these allegations come from the sports of football, wrestling and track & field, and they allegedly violated NCAA rules by participating in online betting:
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Statement from Iowa State on gambling allegations with student-athletes. <a href=”https://t.co/f8rSXCiLtD”>pic.twitter.com/f8rSXCiLtD</a>
Iowa State is the latest school to find itself dealing with potential gambling violations over the past few days.
On Friday, Darren Rovell of the Action Network reported that former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon allegedly relayed information to a former high school baseball coach, who then placed “suspicious” wagers on the LSU Tigers to defeat the Crimson Tide before the two teams faced each other on April 28.
Bohannon reportedly was on the phone with the former coach when Alabama’s top pitcher Luke Holman was scratched from his start and replaced by reliever Hagan Banks, who hadn’t made a start in over a month. The former coach then placed “substantial wagers” at a Cincinnati sportsbook on the LSU moneyline, which closed at -245, as well as a parlay.
Alabama went on to lose 8-6, and Bohannon was fired on Thursday as a result of the allegations. So far, four states have halted all betting on Alabama baseball.
Rovell also reported on Monday that the Iowa baseball team is under investigation by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. The Hawkeyes had suspended multiple players “due to a potential violation” and made the announcement on Friday just before their weekend series against Ohio State began.
“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,” said Brian Ohorilko, the director of gaming for the state’s commission.
Per Chad Leistikow and Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register, the university released a statement revealing that “111 individuals had been flagged in the investigation, including 26 student-athletes in baseball, football, men’s basketball, men’s track and field and wrestling, plus one full-time employee in the UI athletics department.” Iowa has also notified the NCAA of the potential violations and “hired outside counsel to assist in the investigative process.”
As online sports betting continues to grow in popularity, it seems inevitable that more schools could face potential gambling violations.