Iowa University Suspending Multiple Players from Different Sports for Betting

Iowa University Suspending Multiple Players from Different Sports for Betting

10 May, 2023

The University of Iowa made the announcement on Monday that it is aware of a sports betting investigation and is fully cooperating. The investigation involves 26 active student-athletes who compete in baseball, football, men’s basketball, track and field, and men’s wrestling, as well as one full-time employee of the UI Department of Athletics.

In addition to alerting the NCAA to possible breaches, Iowa also stated that it had “hired outside counsel to assist in the investigative process.”

The university made its notice on the same day that Iowa State disclosed it was carrying out a related probe. Despite gambling being legal in Iowa, players are not permitted to partake according to NCAA regulations.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has allegedly opened an inquiry after several University of Iowa baseball players were suspended for a three-game series against Ohio State that was played in Iowa over the weekend.

“We excluded several student-athletes from competition due to a possible NCAA violation. As issue is still under investigation, we won’t have any more remarks, the school stated in an email on May 5.

The university made no mention of any specific student-athletes who may have been engaged, although On3Sports’ Kyle Huesmann noted that four baseball players—Keaton Anthony, Jacob Henderson, Ben Tallman, and Gehrig Christensen—were absent throughout the series against Ohio State.

Brian Ohorilko, the state commission’s director of gaming, told Action Network that the commission “takes the integrity of gaming in the state seriously, is continuing to monitor the situation, and will provide any additional information when able.”

The baseball team for the Hawkeyes is 10-7 in the Big Ten and has an overall record of 34-12. Anthony, a 2022 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, currently leads the team in hitting average, on-base percentage (OBP), slugging percentage, and on-pitch strength (OPS). Before the current series, he had not been absent from any games this season.

This probable Iowa scandal, which involves gambling, occurs soon after Alabama fired their coach.

Brian Bohanon, the head coach of Alabama’s baseball team, was fired last week due to “suspicious wagering activity” involving games involving the Crimson Tide. Greg Sankey, the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, declared in a statement following Bahanon’s dismissal that the conference has “zero tolerance for activity that calls into question the integrity of competition.”

The Hawkeyes defeated the Buckeyes in their first two meetings, triumphing 16-9 on Friday and 15-3 on Saturday. Sunday saw a 2-5 loss for them. Next Friday, when Iowa visits Michigan State for a three-game series, the team will play again.