Oklahoma Star Qb Denies Gambling On Sports After Venmo Transactions Surface

Ever since he transferred to nan University of Oklahoma past winter, scrutiny has followed John Mateer for really nan quarterback, rated 1 of nan champion successful assemblage football, would execute connected nan field.

This week, Mateer has recovered himself nether nan spotlight for different reasons aft screenshots from his individual Venmo relationship surfaced connected societal media showing 2 transactions branded “sports gambling." Both transactions were from Nov. 20, 2022, erstwhile Mateer was a freshman astatine Washington State University, and were allegedly sent to a Venmo relationship for Richard Roaten. One transaction was branded "sports gambling (UCLA vs USC)"; UCLA and USC had played 1 different nan time prior.

The NCAA prohibits student-athletes and unit members from betting connected sports, nary matter whether astatine nan collegiate, master aliases amateur level, and breaking those rules tin costs athletes their remaining eligibility.

Mateer published a connection to societal media Tuesday denying wrongdoing, saying that "I person not engaged successful immoderate sports gambling" and characterized nan labeling of nan transactions arsenic "inside jokes betwixt maine and my friends. I person ne'er stake connected sports."

Oklahoma did not respond to questions by NBC News into whether it was launching an enquiry into Mateer. In a statement, nan assemblage said its diversion section "provides ongoing acquisition to its student-athletes, coaches, and unit connected matters related to sports gambling. The section utilizes ProhiBet, which is an industry-standard work offering broad monitoring of sports gambling activities. OU takes immoderate allegations of gambling earnestly and useful intimately pinch nan NCAA successful immoderate situations of concern. OU Athletics is unaware of immoderate NCAA investigation and has nary logic to judge location is 1 pending."

The NCAA did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

A Washington State University spokesperson did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. Mateer threw for 29 touchdowns and rushed for 15 much successful 2024 during his first play arsenic nan starter astatine Washington State, and successful December he announced his transportation to Oklahoma, a longtime powerfulness successful assemblage shot attempting a revival aft a brace of 6-7 seasons since 2022.

Since 2018, erstwhile nan U.S. Supreme Court overturned nan Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and efficaciously opened nan floodgates for regulated, ineligible sports betting successful nan country, nan NCAA has joined different awesome sports leagues successful wrestling pinch nan change.

When nan NCAA successful 2023 surveyed much than 500 on-campus diversion section labor who are tasked pinch ensuring compliance pinch NCAA rules, it recovered that though much than 95% of Division I schools were school sports-betting education, 27% of schools "had dealt pinch a sports betting problem among their athletes aliases unit wrong nan past year, a important summation from a study successful 2019," according to an NCAA release.

In June, nan NCAA announced it was seeking to relax immoderate of its erstwhile sports gambling regulations erstwhile nan Division I Council, which oversees regulations for nan NCAA's largest schools, projected a change that would let some student-athletes and unit members to stake connected pro sports.