Oklahoma to investigate John Mateer’s ‘sports gambling’ Venmo transactions, per report
Published:
Oklahoma will be investigating a series of alleged Venmo payments made by quarterback John Mateer back in 2022 while he was a freshman at Washington State, per a report.
Mateer’s Venmo history went viral on Monday night after a pair of payments he made with “sports gambling” in the memo surfaced on social media. While Mateer has not yet confirmed the Venmo account belongs to him, Oklahoma has acknowledged it is “aware” of the incident.
Student-athletes are not permitted to bet on college sports, per NCAA rules.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Oklahoma officials plan to be “proactive and exhaust every avenue” in its investigation:
At this time, it’s not yet clear if the NCAA also plans to open an investigation into Mateer’s alleged Venmo history. As of publication, there doesn’t appear to be other public evidence of Mateer betting on sports. Mateer has assured Oklahoma officials he has never been involved in gambling, per Thamel.
There is precedent for college football players being punished for sports betting. In 2023, then-Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was accused of placing multiple bets on Iowa State sporting events — including a Cyclones football game. The NCAA ruled Dekkers to be permanently-ineligible in February of 2024.
Oklahoma’s 2025 season begins on Aug. 30 against Illinois State. The Sooners will face their first power-conference opponent the following week when Michigan comes to Norman on Sept. 6.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
