Three former Fresno State college basketball players were found to have violated ethical conduct rules for betting purposes, the NCAA announced on Wednesday.
Key Takeaways
- Mykell Robinson bet on his own player props and worked with others to place wagers.
- Neither school was penalized for the players’ gambling scheme.
- The NCAA was tipped off by Fresno State and an integrity watchdog.
Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez, and Jalen Weaver have been ruled permanently ineligible after the NCAA’s Infraction Committee determined that the players worked together to bet on player props during the 2024-25 season.
Two of the players were charged with manipulating performances to make sure they won their placed bets. Vasquez transferred to San Jose State, where he was involved in the betting scheme.
None of the three players is currently enrolled at Fresno State. The NCAA said neither Fresno State nor San Jose State were penalized.
Under investigation
The NCAA said information regarding unusual betting on Robinson from Fresno State and a sports betting integrity monitoring watchdog initiated the investigation.
According to the NCAA’s findings, Robinson told Vasquez – his former roommate who was at San Jose State at the time – that he was going to intentionally go under on several player props during games. The two players and a third party wagered a combined $2,200 and won $15,950 after Robinson fell below his posted stat lines. The trio split the winnings.
Robinson also bet on 13 of his own prop bets at a daily fantasy sports site. His wagers reached $454, and while he didn’t win on every prop bet, he hit on a parlay that paid out $618.
Other betting infraction
Robinson also bet on Weaver in December 2024 after the two players “exchanged information about their respective betting lines,” the NCAA said. Weaver also bet a $50 parlay for Robinson and an unnamed student-athlete that won him $260, triggering his ban from NCAA competition.
Both Robinson and Weaver started all but one of the games they played in last year. Robinson averaged 10.3 points per game in 17 contests for Fresno State, while Weaver averaged 12.5 points in 25 games.
Resolving the cases
Any NCAA athlete who bets on their own games or performances is permanently ruled ineligible from competition, but they can apply for reinstatement following a policy change in 2023.
“The three cases were resolved via negotiated resolution in coordination with the student-athletes' schools, per infractions process operating procedures,” the NCAA committee said in a statement. “Robinson and Vasquez informed the enforcement staff that they did not wish to participate in the processing of their respective cases. Weaver did participate and agreed to the violation in his case.”
Tip of the iceberg
This is the first released NCAA findings in what is believed to be a series of investigations into college basketball betting scandals.
At least nine schools are reportedly being investigated after unusual betting activity has been flagged. Temple, Eastern Michigan, New Orleans, and Mississippi Valley State are among the group of teams that the NCAA is looking into, stemming from potential violations that occurred over the last couple of seasons.
A report last month said multiple programs and players are also part of the same federal probe that involves former NBA player Jontay Porter and a group of men caught in a gambling ring. Charges could be coming in the near future.
