Updates in the Iowa Sports Wagering Investigation -- An Ending in Sight?
There might finally be an end in sight for the ongoing sports wagering investigation involving student-athletes at the Iowa and Iowa State. Earlier this evening, the Iowa athletic department released the following statement:
University of Iowa, UI Athletics Department Statement
The University of Iowa and the UI Athletics Department have been working cooperatively with the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement (SAR) staff to determine the eligibility of student-athletes who were involved in sports wagering. The institution has received the SAR determinations for the 11 individuals who are current student-athletes. Because this information is protected through the Family Education Right and Privacy Act (FERPA), specific information will only be released once we have received the student's consent.
NCAA guidelines set forth a process for an appeal of the SAR staff’s decision. The University will support student-athletes choosing to move forward with this process.
So what does that mean, exactly? Let's break it down.
NCAA PUNISHMENTS VS CRIMINAL CHARGES
As we've noted since this investigation began, this process involves two separate aspects: NCAA punishments as a result of violation of NCAA rules and criminal charges as a result of violations of the Iowa Criminal Code. So far we've only heard about the criminal charges that have resulted from the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation's investigative efforts.
Several current and former Iowa student-athletes have been charged, including baseball player Gehrig Christenson, football players Aaron Blom, Jack Johnson, Arland Bruce IV, Reggie Bracy (as well as football graduate assistant Owen O'Brien), and basketball player Ahron Ulis. Most recently (yesterday), Iowa basketball student manager Evan Schuster was charged with tampering with records and placing more than 1,970 wagers using his father's FanDuel account.
However, in addition to the criminal charges (which apply to student-athletes who placed wagers while under the age of 21, the legal gambling age in Iowa), there is a separate component of the investigation involving NCAA sanctions against the student-athletes. Sports wagering is also against NCAA regulations. The punishment for violations of those regulations involves loss of athletic eligibility.
WHAT THE STATEMENT SAYS
The statement indicates that the NCAA investigation has determined that 11 current student-athletes at Iowa were involved in sports wagering and are facing eligibility-related sanctions as a result. Per the statement, those 11 individuals (and Iowa) have been notified of the length of those sanctions. There is an appeals process for the student-athletes to appeal the decision (eligibility-related punishment) of the NCAA's Student-Athlete Reinstatement (SAR) staff.
None of those 11 players have consented to have their names released at this time. It is very likely that Aaron Blom and Jack Johnson are two of the 11 players, given that they have already received criminal charges and remain on the Iowa football roster. Noah Shannon is also likely to be one of the 11 players, as he has self-disclosed being part of the sports wagering investigation.
Christenson, Bruce, Bracy, and Ulis would not be part of the 11 players noted here, since none of them are current student-athletes at Iowa. There has been considerable speculation about the other student-athletes involved and which Iowa teams might be affected, but again -- at this time, no names have been confirmed.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The 11 impacted players can either choose to accept the eligibility-related sanctions laid out by the NCAA SAR staff, or they can pursue an appeal of those sanctions. If they accept the sanctions, I would expect formal press releases from the Iowa athletic department detailing the amount of lost eligibility, as well as the name(s) of the impacted student-athletes. If they pursue the appeals process, we are unlikely to know more about the length of the sanctions or the identities of the impacted student-athletes unless they choose to reveal that information themselves.
Either way, the NCAA levying its eligibility-related sanctions was a necessary step to bring this story to a conclusion. There are still several details to sort out before we reach that ending -- most obviously, exactly which student-athletes have been impacted and how much of their upcoming 2023-24 seasons they will miss -- but there is at least an ending in sight.