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Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse in the wake of a betting scandal involving the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team, we are now learning that officials have begun probing the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones sports programs over “potential criminal conduct related to sports wagering” that span across various sports.
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is overseeing the investigation into the two state schools.
The university reports it has received information about 111 individuals.
This includes 26 current student-athletes from baseball, football, men’s basketball, men’s track and field, and men's wrestling, as well as one full-time employee of the UI Department of Athletics.
The vast majority of the individuals are student-staff, former student-athletes, or those with no connection to UI Athletics.
The list does not include any current or former coaches and does not seem to implicate the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team, which made it into the finals of the NCAA basketball tournament this year.
A timeline was provided by the Commission that spanned the period May 2, first notification of potential criminal conduct to sports betting and violation of NCAA policy, to May 5, notifying of several student-athletes they would be prohibited from participating in upcoming competitions.
On May 8, Monday, the following message was sent to Department of Athletics staff and student-athletes.
Athletics Staff –
Last week the university and athletics department were made aware of potential NCAA violation related to sports wagering. The following statements from the State of Iowa Board of Regents and University of Iowa will be shared publicly shortly. We will follow-up with additional information as available.
Board of Regent Statement
The Board of Regents is aware of concerns related to online gambling involving individuals associated with the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. The Board of Regents and the universities will fully cooperate with any investigations related to these concerns. We are closely monitoring the situation and have confidence that University administrators at each institution will take all necessary steps to ensure ongoing compliance.
University of Iowa Statement
The University of Iowa and the Department of Athletics are aware of the sports wagering investigation and are fully cooperating. We have alerted the NCAA of the potential violations and we have hired outside counsel to assist in the investigative process.
The athletics department provides education on NCAA rules regarding the the prohibition of sports wagering as well as the potential consequences.
This is a fluid situation and Gambling911.com will continue to stay on top of it as more information comes in.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
