The investigation by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) into sports wagering among student-athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa State continues to generate news -- and criminal charges for current and former Iowa players. A day after we learned that former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen is facing criminal charges related to sports wagering, we now know that current Iowa football player Aaron Blom is also facing criminal charges as part of the sports wagering investigation.
Like Christensen, Blom is accused of making illegal underage bets using the DraftKings app. Also like Christensen, Blom involved his mother in the "scheme" to hide his identity when placing the bets. He faces the same tampering with records charge as Christensen, which is an aggravated misdemeanor under the state of Iowa criminal code. It carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in county jail or up to two years in prison if Blom is convicted.
The complaint accuses Christensen of placing 170 mobile/online sports bets through a DraftKings account, totaling over $4400. Approximately eight of the wagers were placed on sporting events involving the Iowa Hawkeyes, including betting the under on total points in the 2021 Iowa-Iowa State game. (Blom did not play in that game.)
In the complaint Blom's mother confirmed that she knew that the DraftKings account was registered in her name and that her son used it to place wagers with her knowledge and consent. The complaint also states that Blom was "transparent" with agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation about his online wagering activity.
The complaint alleges that Blom placed the bets between 1/28/21 and 2/22/22. During that period of time Blom was a member of the Iowa football program. Under current NCAA rules, Blom (like Christensen) would be permanently ineligible to compete in college athletics if the NCAA rules that he placed bets on University of Iowa sporting events.
Blom, who is still listed on the current Iowa football roster, did not play in 2020 or 2021 but did see action in two games in 2022. He went 1/2 on field goal attempts in Iowa's season-opener against South Dakota State. He also played in Iowa's game against Iowa State the next week, going 0/1 on field goal tries, but converting his only extra point try. He did not see any other game action in 2022, as Drew Stevens took over as Iowa's placekicker for the remainder of the season.
Blom is one of three current/former Iowa student-athletes to be charged as part of the IRGC's investigation into sports wagering at Iowa and Iowa State. Former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen was also charged and on Wednesday it emerged that former Iowa basketball player Ahron Ulis (who transferred to Nebraska after the 2022-23 season) is also facing charges as part of the investigation.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation released a statement on Wednesday regarding the charges.
"The investigation is ongoing and may result in the filing of additional charges. No further information can be released at this time."
So far charges have only been filed against Blom, Christensen, and Ulis (among Iowa players), but it's a certainty that those aren't the only names involved. (We know that Noah Shannon is one of the players involved in the investigation.) It's worth noting that, to date, all of the charged athletes have been charged with placing bets on games involving their respective schools, which would likely be the most serious infractions involved in this investigation -- it certainly has the most significant punishment in terms of NCAA rules (permanent loss of eligibility).
It's very conceivable that other players could face lesser charges as a result of the investigation if they placed illegal bets, but did not wager on any games involving Iowa (or Iowa State, if they were Cyclone student-athletes). Also, the current information around Blom and Christensen (and Ulis) concerns only the criminal charges they are facing for violating Iowa law. Any sanctions from the NCAA will be determined at a later date.
We'll continue to provide updates on this story as more information emerges.
