By BBBB
The Notre Dame men’s swimming program has been suspended from all competitions for alleged sports betting breaches.
A statement issued by the University revealed that an internal investigation has highlighted concerns over a culture of gambling within the team. The suspension is self-imposed.
The review was carried out by external investigators
“documented numerous violations of NCAA rules prohibiting gambling on intercollegiate swimming and other athletic competitions despite clear and recurrent training provided to all our student-athletes by our Athletics Compliance staff about those rules.”
In the statement Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua said:
“These findings are contrary to the University’s values and all that we stand for in Notre Dame athletics. In order to ensure that this behavior ends and to rebuild a culture of dignity, respect and exemplary conduct, we have decided to suspend the men’s swimming program for at least one academic year.”
He went on to add that while a small number of individuals were not involved in any gambling activities, the overall ‘cultural dynamic’ within the team led to the complete suspension of the program. He also regretted that any athletes who planned to join the program once the academic year began would have no access to competitive swimming or training through the university for the coming year.
According to reports, the majority of the swimmers on the program are suspected of placing bets on college athletics. However, the coaching staff have not been reprimanded and it is believed that the breaches were by students only.
The men’s dive team and women’s swim and dive team are not part of the program and were not a part of the investigation.
College athletes are banned from betting on NCAA sports and from sharing any information that could help someone predict the outcome of a game or event.
Following the announcement, NCAA spokeswoman Meghan Durham Wright said in a statement:
“The national office is aware that Notre Dame has declared several student-athletes ineligible in light of potential violations of sports betting rules. We continue to work with the school as it determines what occurred. The NCAA does not comment on specific eligibility cases due to student privacy laws, and we have no further comment at this time.”
Latest in a Series of Student Betting Breaches in US
Sports betting breaches by students and coaching staff at universities and colleges are on the increase in the US with several high-profile cases in recent years.
Last year 16 current and past students and coaching staff members from both Iowa State and University of Iowa were charged with illegal sports betting. Most of those were charged with tampering with records to conceal their identity and use of sports betting apps. In some cases, students were charged with identity theft.
The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) carried out a survey on sports betting issues on college campuses in 2023. This revealed that 27% of schools were dealing with sports betting breaches. This was up from 3% in 2019. Yet despite this stat, only 23% of schools were using a sports wagering integrity monitoring service. The same study revealed that 25% of schools were aware that student athletes were harassed online or in-person by gamblers.
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