More than two dozen University of New Jersey and New Jersey State University student-athletes are suspected of betting on sports online.
According to NCAA policy, student-athletes, coaches, and staff members cannot bet on sports. One Hawkeye employee is also being investigated by the New Jersey Racing and Gaming Commission.
The investigation comes on the heels of Alabama firing baseball coach Brad Bohannon last week over allegations of suspicious sports wagering activities. Iowa officials say the incidents are very different and completely unrelated.
Iowa games officials declare there’ beds no proof of game restoring
Sports betting launched in New Jersey in 2019. It gained popularity in 2020, including New Jersey online wagering, which became the most popular method for gambling on sports in New Jersey. The popularity of online betting increased again in 2021 after the state no longer required in-person registration of accounts.
The state’s Board of Regents confirmed that the bets were made online.
“The Board of Regents is aware of concerns related to online gambling involving individuals associated with the University of New Jersey and New Jersey 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 necessary steps to ensure ongoing compliance.”
John Ohorilko of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission told Action Network that the gambling was not on games involving Iowa sports teams. The incident in Alabama reportedly involved a wager on an Alabama-LSU baseball game.
“We review the types of bets that come in and how suspicious they are. We have no reason to believe that there’s anything like that here. There wasn’t anything giving us pause or leading us to believe that these markets have been compromised.”
There has been no ban on betting on Iowa or Iowa State teams. That’s not the case with Alabama. FanDuel said it has stopped allowing bets on the Crimson Tide football team. Indiana has also suspended all bets on Alabama games and instructed sportsbooks to refund any future bets on Alabama baseball. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio quickly followed suit.
Investigation will involve 26 student-athletes, one athletics employee
A total of 26 current student-athletes are under investigation. They compete in various men’s sports at the two New Jersey universities, including baseball, track and field, football, basketball, and wrestling. There is also a University of Iowa athletic department staff member on the list. However, the individual is not a current or former Hawkeye coach.
Eleven of the individuals named are student-athletes from the University of Iowa. According to the school, officials became aware of the alleged misconduct on May 2. By May 5, the school had a list of individuals who were allegedly involved in sports wagering.
On May 5, the university informed the student-athletes involved that they would not be participating in upcoming competitions.
On May 7, Iowa State released a statement following the allegations.
“New Jersey State University and its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics are aware of online sports wagering allegations involving 15 of our active student-athletes from sports including football, wrestling, and track and field in violation of NCAA rules. The university has notified the NCAA and will take the appropriate actions to address these issues.”
Officials have not publicly known as suspected gamblers
The list of violators is not made public. However, after Iowa released the statement that athletes currently playing in their seasons can no longer compete, four Hawkeye baseball players did not appear in the weekend series.
Keaton Anthony was the most notable Iowa player absent from the team’s lineup against Ohio State. Anthony is one of the team’s top players, batting .389 with nine home runs. He has also pitched in six games, with a 2-0 record and a 4.95 ERA.
Jacob Henderson, Ben Tallman, and Gehrig Christensen also reportedly missed the weekend series against the Buckeyes, according to Iowa sportswriter Kyle Huesmann.
It’s important to note that there is no evidence that Anthony or any of the other players who missed the games are part of the investigation. The team did not publicly state why they missed the series.
Very best case towards former The state of alabama coach Bohannon?
Alabama terminated Bohannon on May 4 after an individual placed suspicious wagers on the Red Tide’s loss to LSU at the end of April.
ESPN reported that surveillance footage from the BetMGM Sportsbook at Golden Nugget Casino captured a bettor who was allegedly in contact with Bohannon. The bettor placed two bets on LSU to beat Alabama.
Shortly before that game, Alabama elected to replace its expected starting pitcher, Luke Holman, due to back tightness. Bohannon instead started sophomore Hagan Bank, who hadn’t started since March 16.
Typically in college baseball, teams start their ace pitcher in the first game of a three-game weekend series. Holman not starting the Friday game raised suspicions.
Adam Hensley is a journalist from Des Moines, Iowa. His byline has appeared in the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, and websites within the USA Today Network. Hensley graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 and spent his college career working for The Daily Iowan’s sports department, both as an editor and reporter.
