In a statement, the Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said an independent investigation was launched after officials heard reports of potential misconduct. The investigation uncovered “deeply embedded” cultural issues. This included “numerous violations of NCAA rules prohibiting gambling on intercollegiate swimming and other athletic competitions.”

As a result, Notre Dame will suspend the entire program for “at least” one academic year. There have been multiple college betting scandals, including one in Iowa, in recent years but none involving an entire team.

No individual athletes were named in the announcement. Rather, Bevacqua asserted that the “overwhelming cultural dynamic on the team necessitates a full suspension.” The team’s coaching staff is believed to be uninvolved and was unaware of the athletes’ gambling.

According to Sports Illustrated, the timing of the suspension allows for athletes to enter the transfer portal before classes begin 27 August. This includes incoming freshmen who had yet to compete on the team. But if athletes are punished, those punishments would transfer with them to their new schools.

Athletes reportedly created internal sportsbook

The SI report said that the team essentially created its own sportsbook to wager on their performance. Over/under lines were established for swimming times, with a large number of team members placing wagers.

The team finished 10th at this year’s NCAA championships. It also fielded its first Olympian, sending freestyler Chris Guiliano to this year’s summer games in Paris. It is unclear if Guiliano was involved in the betting scandal. Guilano won a gold medal as part of the US 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay team and a silver as part of the 4 x 200 freestyle relay team.

Notre Dame is located in Indiana, which is a legal sports betting state. But no legal operators offer wagers on collegiate swimming. The legal wagering age is 21, and some members of the Notre Dame team are under that age. It is also illegal in Indiana and other states to bet with an unregulated sportsbook. Even though the team appeared to have wagered internally, the potential influence on performance could still result in harsh penalties.

An NCAA rules update from June 2023 says that athletes who “engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports. This would also apply to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools.”

In a statement to SI, NCAA spokeswoman Meghan Durham Wright said the association “is aware that Notre Dame has declared several student-athletes ineligible in light of potential violations of sports betting rules.”

Due to student privacy laws, it declined to comment on specific eligibility rulings. The NCAA has not yet commented on whether or not it will open its own investigation.