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Last month, the NBA was rocked by a widespread betting investigation. Dozens of people linked to the league, including a current head coach, were arrested on October 23.
At the time, the investigation was not believed to have involved college basketball players. However, federal investigators led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and NCAA officials later confirmed that an investigation had been opened to examine possible gaming violations at the Division I level of college basketball.
On Friday, the NCAA infractions committee announced that it had “discovered violations by six student-athletes who competed in men’s basketball at New Orleans, Mississippi Valley and Arizona State.”
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The NCAA logo on the entrance sign outside NCAA Headquarters on February 28, 2023, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The cases at the three schools are considered separate, but each shares similarities involving alleged betting intended to rig games or student-athletes giving inappropriate information to known bettors.
“In addition, all three cases involved a lack of cooperation on the part of student-athletes, who knowingly provided false or misleading information to investigators. As a result of the sports betting violations, all of the student-athletes violated rules of ethical conduct, resulting in permanent ineligibility,” the NCAA said.
THREE FORMER EASTERN MICHIGAN BASKETBALL PLAYERS CHALLENGED SPORTS BETTING INVESTIGATION, NCAA SAYS
The NCAA named the following six people: Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, Jamond Vincent, Donovan Sanders, Alvin Stredic and Chatton “BJ” Freeman. As of this year, none of those athletes are enrolled at their previous schools.
Detailed view of a Wilson NCAA basketball on the court during a men’s college basketball game on March 12, 2025. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The NCAA determined that Sanders and Stredic received monetary offers to actually pitch a game in January against Alabama A&M. Before a December 2024 matchup with Tulsa, Sanders was heard talking about “losing a game,” the NCAA said.
Hunter and Sanders refused to cooperate in their respective cases, the governing body of college athletics in the United States said. Meanwhile, Stredic, Vincent and Short did not provide answers to law enforcement personnel during the processing of their respective cases. Freeman agreed to cooperate on a resolution, according to officials.
In this March 18, 2015, file photo, the NCAA logo is displayed on center court as work continues at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh for the NCAA college basketball tournament. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Officials noted that the organization’s infractions committee does not “evaluate sanctions for student-athletes who violated NCAA rules, but approved findings, confirming that violations occurred.”
On Friday, ESPN reported that the six players named in three separate cases have had their NCAA eligibility permanently rescinded.
An estimated 30 current and former men’s basketball players have been investigated, the NCAA said in October.
Additionally, last month, at least three former Eastern Michigan men’s basketball players refused to cooperate with the NCAA investigation into questionable sports betting activities. The NCAA took images of the personal phones of Jalin Billingsley, Da’Sean Nelson and Jalen Terry in January. The examination arose from unusual betting activity associated with Eastern Michigan’s matchup against Central Michigan on Jan. 14, according to findings that became available in late October.
