NCAA bans 3 D1 basketball players for betting-related game manipulation
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The NCAA has banned 3 Division I men’s basketball players after an investigation revealed they bet on their own games and manipulated their performances to ensure certain prop bets were won.
On Wednesday, the NCAA Committee on Infractions released its findings from an investigation into 3 student-athletes — Fresno State’s Mykell Robinson and Jalen Weaver, and San Jose State’s Steven Vasquez. All 3 players were found to have violated ethical conduct rules and were permanently banned from NCAA competitions. They were also released from their respective teams and no longer enrolled at their respective schools.
Robinson and Vasquez, who were roommates at Fresno State during the 2023-24 season, discussed their plans to underperform in multiple statistical categories for a regular-season basketball game over text message in January 2025. Robinson, Vasquez, and a third party bet a combined $2,200 on Robinson for his under-line performance in those categories. That bet cashed and the 3 parties won $15,950.
During that same season, Robinson was also found to have placed 13 DFS wagers, totaling $454, on parlays that included his own performance. Robinson did not win on all of the bets but did collect $618 on one occasion.
Robinson was also found to have placed multiple bets on Weaver, his roommate at Fresno State. Two bets were placed on a game in December 2024 after the 2 student-athletes exchanged information about their respective betting lines. The NCAA found Weaver placed a $50 bet on one of his own props, a prop of Robinson’s, and of a third student-athlete. That bet won $260.
Additionally, the NCAA said Vasquez and Robinson failed to cooperate with the investigation.
The 3 cases were resolved via negotiated resolution. The schools themselves did not face any disciplinary action from the NCAA.
NCAA president Charlie Baker has been pushing for a ban on college player prop bets for over a year. He called for a ban on sportsbooks offering player props for college games back in March 2024 and has spent the time since lobbying federal and state lawmakers for support.
In April of this year, the NCAA announced an agreement with Genius Sports, a company that sells data to sportsbooks, that will require those oddsmakers to drop wagering on individual player performances in order to maintain access to real-time statistics from March Madness and other NCAA championship events.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
