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The NCAA has confirmed it is investigating 13 former college basketball players as targets in a wide-ranging sports-betting probe that already has led to multiple lifetime bans.
The players still being investigated played for six schools, including Eastern Michigan’s men’s team, the NCAA confirmed Thursday.
The NCAA said the players in the ongoing cases are facing possible sanctions, but not the individual schools. Involved schools included Eastern Michigan, Temple, Arizona State, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T and Mississippi Valley, as previously reported by various news outlets and confirmed by the NCAA on Thursday.
“EMU remains committed to compliance with NCAA rules and preserving the integrity of competition,” Eastern Michigan athletic director Scott Wetherbee said in a statement when contacted by The Detroit News on Thursday. “The university cooperated fully with the NCAA staff and appreciates the NCAA’s recognition that it is not at risk for violations or penalties.
“We look forward to concluding the matter.”
The NCAA said Thursday the facts in each of the former players’ cases vary, but that alleged violations include betting on or against their own teams, sharing information with third parties for purposes of sports betting, knowingly manipulating scoring or game outcomes, or refusing to participate in the investigation by the NCAA’s enforcement staff.
The NCAA said it will not name the 13 former players until the investigation has concluded. The NCAA said there might be more athletes investigated.
None of the 13 are at the schools where their actions are alleged to have occurred, including Eastern Michigan.
Earlier this week, the NCAA announced lifetime bans for three former basketball players, Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver, who played at Fresno State and San Jose State. The NCAA said those players were found to have bet on each other’s games and/or provided information that enabled others to do so last season. Two of those players, the NCAA said, manipulated their performance to ensure winning bets.
“The NCAA monitors over 22,000 contests every year and will continue to aggressively pursue competition integrity risks such as these,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement Thursday. “I am grateful for the NCAA enforcement team’s relentless work and for the schools’ cooperation in these matters.
“While legalized sports betting is here to stay, regulators and gaming companies can do more to reduce these integrity risks by eliminating prop bets and giving sports leagues a seat at the table when setting policies.”
According to previous published reports, suspicious activity involving Eastern Michigan men’s basketball was flagged for a game against Central Michigan in January, when the first-half spread moved dramatically before tip-off ― from CMU by 3-5 points to CMU by 6.5 points. CMU led, 39-3, at half, on a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left in the first half. During that game, Eastern Michigan committed two turnovers in the final 40 seconds of the first half.
Sports betting is legal in 38 states plus Washington, D.C., but NCAA athletes, coaches and staff members are not permitted to bet on any sports, professional or college, that have sanctioned NCAA championships.
The NCAA’s Division I Administrative Committee is considering changes to allow for betting on professional sports.
Associated Press contributed to this report