Another group of college athletes has been included in an investigation into the violation of rules surrounding legal sports betting.
Iowa State running back Jirehl Brock has been charged with tampering with records following an investigation into the use of online sports betting sites by college athletes, according to The Des Moines Register.
The probe, led by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, also included three other Iowa State players — Isaiah Lee, DeShawn Hanika, and Jacob Remsburg — who reportedly bet on Iowa State games... and even bet against their own team.
Going through the criminal charges against three Iowa State football players, and we have a player allegedly betting against his own team. This is all worse than most of us thought.
— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) August 10, 2023
The allegations:
Isaiah Lee: 115 bets for $885. 21 wagers on 12 Iowa State football games from… pic.twitter.com/4SYayAoyZ0
The four Cyclones were all starters for the 2022 football team that finished with a 4-8 record. According to the criminal complaint, all four athletes placed wagers on college sports.
"Since becoming aware of potential NCAA eligibility issues related to sports wagering by several of our student-athletes back in May, Iowa State University has been actively working to address these issues with the involved student-athletes, and that process remains ongoing," Iowa State Senior Associate Athletics Director Nick Joos said in a statement. "We will continue to support our student-athletes as our compliance staff works with the NCAA to sort out questions surrounding their future eligibility for athletics competition.”
The investigation has also reached the University of Iowa campus — charges were filed on Thursday against current Iowa football player Jack Johnson and two former players: Arland Bruce IV and Reggie Bracy, per ESPN.
Owen O'Brien, an Iowa student manager, has also been charged.
Part of a bigger problem
The players at Iowa State add to a growing list of athletes embroiled in sports betting incidents.
Earlier this month, Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was charged with tampering with records. The redshirt junior allegedly placed wagers on DraftKings that amounted to more than $2,799, wagers which included football games.
Cyclones sophomore offensive lineman Dodge Sauser also allegedly placed wagers on his team, while ISU sophomore wrestler Paniro Johnson is being charged with tampering with records after allegedly placing 1,282 bets.
The NCAA has yet to punish any athlete included in the investigation. However, The NCAA’s new guidelines call for student-athletes who wager on their own sport at a different institution to be required to receive education on the NCAA’s wagering rules and prevention policies in order to be reinstated.
On the other hand, student-athletes who influence the outcome of their own games or provide information to people in betting could face permanent loss of eligibility.
