One of college football’s rising head coaches is using his platform to speak out on a hot-button topic across the country.
- Northwestern head coach David Braun called sports betting “predatory” and warned about its addictive potential.
- Braun voiced concern about gambling’s impact on young men, citing his fears as a father of two young boys.
- His comments come as sports betting and prediction markets become increasingly intertwined with college sports.
With his Wildcats off to a surprising 6-1 start, Northwestern head coach David Braun shared his unfiltered thoughts on the prominence of sports betting and its growing prevalence in the NCAA and beyond.
“I will get myself in trouble with this one, but the last thing any of us are paying attention to is betting lines,” Braun said when asked about his team’s status as underdogs for a Halloween showdown with unranked Oregon. “I will use this as an opportunity. Why are those lines placed? To draw action.”
Braun then went on to criticize the sports betting industry further, and shared his concerns related to addiction tied to wagering, and the potential consequences even impacting underaged people.
Northwestern coach David Braun slams the sports betting industry: “It’s scary stuff. It’s predatory.” https://t.co/JECV0VEVRm
— Kamran Nia (@kamran_nia) October 26, 2026
“I’ll tell you what, I got 11-year-old and 9-year-old boys at home, and I am terrified of how addictive phones are, how addictive gambling is,” he said. “This is my opportunity to say stay off your phones, stay away from gambling. It’s scary stuff. It’s predatory.”
Sports, sports betting more intertwined than ever
Braun’s comments speak to increased scrutiny across the board from both league stakeholders and fans, as sports wagering has become more entangled with the leagues and sports themselves than ever before.
Mounting concerns with integrity across all major sports have soured some on the prominence of sports wagering, while many prediction markets have found themselves at the heart of legal battles over whether they are offering sports wagering themselves, and whether their users meet minimum age requirements.
“It’s messed up what's going on. You look at 18 to 25 year old young men out there right now and the predatory nature of some of this stuff it's really scary,” Braun added, alluding to studies that have found that younger men account for a significantly outsized portion of sports betting.
“So I promise you that’s the last thing we’re paying attention to.”
