ESPN insider suggests John Mateer controversy ‘fizzles out’
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
The John Mateer sports gambling controversy has been a hot-button subject recently. However, ESPN insider Pete Thamel believes the worst is behind the new Oklahoma quarterback after his public statement.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, Thamel shed light on the consensus reaction to screenshots of Mateer’s Venmo transactions from 2022 listed as “sports gambling.”
“My hunch at this juncture is this kind of fizzles out and 2 months from now we’re going to be like, ‘Hey, remember that day when John Mateer did that dumb thing on Venmo,’ and we’re going to move on,” Thamel said. “That’s my understanding (regarding where) it’s trending right now.”
The Washington State transfer quarterback vehemently denied sports betting on Tuesday in a statement on social media.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer said in his statement. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have no engaged in any sports gambling.”
The Oklahoma athletic department also released a statement on Tuesday that they don’t have any knowledge of “any NCAA investigation and (have) no reason to believe there is one pending.”
Mateer and No. 18 Oklahoma kick off the season at home on Aug. 30 against Illinois State.
