The NCAA announced Wednesday that the Division I Board of Regents Coordinating Committee will adjust sanctions against student-athletes involved in sports betting, allowing students who bet on other teams from their school to receive a one-year suspension instead of permanent disqualification. It was announced that the punishment had been handed down.
The ruling comes one day after the Association of University Commissioners directed the D1 Committee on Student-Athlete Return and the Legislative Committee to “review the application of legislation and return guidelines for student-athletes who engage in sports gambling.” It came out a little over a month ago.
At the time, the NCAA seemed to be considering a first-strike, three-strike policy for players who didn’t bet on their own team, which would provide education on sports betting rules and precautions rather than loss of playing time.
Instead, the D1 Council Coordination Committee handed down a one-year suspension, which also comes with a one-year ineligibility during which a player cannot be suspended during a redshirt season.
More than 40 student-athletes from multiple sports, including wrestling, from Iowa and Iowa State University are involved in the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s sports betting investigation.
In August, the University of Iowa announced that 11 current student-athletes were facing disqualification. The news release comes about three months after the school revealed that at least 26 student-athletes across five sports, including wrestling, were under investigation. The school has not released the identities or punishments of those involved, citing privacy laws.
But Iowa’s 174-pound All-American Nelson Bruns and 184-pound NCAA qualifier Abe Assad told the Des Moines Register at the team’s media day last month that they were facing NCAA suspensions. Ta.
The Hawkeyes opened the season with a 40-0 victory over California Baptist on Saturday night. Several returning starting pitchers were left out of the lineup.
“It was excruciating. That’s really all I can say,” Brands said. “It feels like a little bit of a punch in the back for dealing with something that we don’t really understand, but it didn’t affect the integrity of the sport. Hopefully things will come to light and things will come to light. Hopefully, and I hope the NCAA really has the welfare of their student-athletes in mind.”
The NCAA has been clear about penalties for student-athletes betting on their institution’s teams, but details of the overall impact on Iowa State and Iowa State wrestling have not yet been released.
From NCAA.org:
The Division I Council Coordination Committee on Wednesday adjusted guidelines for student-athlete reinstatement cases when student-athletes bet on other teams from their school. Adjustments to the return guidelines were requested by the Conference Commissioners Association in early October, and the idea was endorsed by the Division I Council at its Oct. 4 meeting.
Effective immediately, the reinstatement guidelines for student-athletes who bet on their school’s teams (other than their own team) begin by calling for a one-season suspension and a one-year loss of eligibility. Student-athletes will also be required to participate in sports betting rules and preventive education as a condition of their return. Previous guidelines approved in June provided for permanent disqualification in such cases. The adjusted guidelines may apply to cases reported after May 2, 2023, in which a student-athlete is currently under suspension related to betting on another team at their school. be.
“To be clear, Division I membership does not encourage student-athletes to participate in sports betting at any level, and today’s action to change the conditions for return is a It should not be construed as supporting any of the following,” said Council President John Steinbrecher. Commissioner of the Coordinating Committee and Mid-America Conference. “NCAA members continue to prioritize the integrity of competition, and we believed that the terms of reinstatement for violations of gambling rules should reflect that and, where possible, consider opportunities for preventive education.”
Adjusting the return-to-play guidelines is the first step in a broader membership effort to overhaul NCAA rules regarding sports betting. Current NCAA rules still do not allow student-athletes, coaches, or athletic administrators to engage in sports betting in any sport sponsored by the NCAA, including college and professional sports.
“The council agreed with the Division 1 commissioners that the conditions for reinstatement for gambling violations in limited circumstances should be adjusted,” Steinbrecher said. “While member schools must carefully consider NCAA gaming laws as a whole, especially in light of recent changes in federal and state law, the Board of Regents does not recommend any additional changes until potential rule changes are considered.” We agreed that no changes should be made.”