Players Connected To An Alleged Point-Shaving Plan Are Banned By The NCAA

A federal indictment for alleged point shaving was linked to two NCAA investigations that resulted in permanent ineligibility penalties for illegal sports betting.

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Two negotiated agreements for gambling-related offences committed by three former NCAA basketball players were approved by the NCAA on Wednesday. Elijah Grey and Will Richardson, two former Fordham men’s basketball players, were declared permanently ineligible by the college sports regulatory body due to their involvement in a federal sports betting investigation. Simeon Cottle, a former Kennesaw State player who is no longer eligible, was also settled by the NCAA.

Fordham basketball gets caught up in a dispute

The DI Committee on Infractions interviewed a third party involved in the NCAA’s investigation, according to the NCAA. According to the third party, several Fordham student-athletes were allegedly in contact with illegal bookmakers who posed as NIL representatives to recruit players for a point-shaving scheme.

In response, the NCAA alerted gambling authorities, and in February 2024, a suspicious Fordham basketball wager was reported by the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Grey and Richardson were allegedly urged to assist Fordham in losing the match against Duquesne. Duquesne would lose to Fordham, 79-67. Due to the $10,000 wager, the NCAA searched social media for links between two Fordham basketball players and an illegal gambler implicated in the plan.

In an interview with NCAA enforcement personnel, Grey eventually admitted his role in the scam and disclosed that he and Richardson were paid up to $15,000 in kickbacks for manipulating their play. In the meantime, when questioned by NCAA enforcement personnel, Richardson denied any role in the purported conspiracy. Later on, he gave misleading information and eventually stopped cooperating.

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The NCAA declared the two basketball players permanently ineligible due to Gray’s admission and Richardson’s refusal to assist with the investigation. Following their participation in the purported scam, Grey and Richardson both transferred from Fordham. Grey is awaiting sentencing after entering a guilty plea to charges related to the scam.

Additionally, Cottle did not assist the NCAA

Cottle is included as a co-defendant in the federal indictment for the alleged point-shaving scam, according to court records submitted in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Cottle is one of 26 individuals accused of participating in the conspiracy; the group is facing a number of crimes, including wire fraud and bribery in athletic events. He was contacted by the NCAA over his suspected game manipulation during his time as a student-athlete at Kennesaw State; however, the former men’s basketball player refused to assist with the investigation. Additionally, it made contact with Kennesaw State, which promptly suspended Cottle.

Although the former student-athlete has no more collegiate eligibility, the NCAA points out that Cottle’s refusal to cooperate with the NCAA results in permanent ineligibility. In his last year of NCAA eligibility, Cottle was suspended from Kennesaw State. In order to get more feedback on the resolutions, SBC Americas contacted the NCAA. Beyond its news releases, the organisation declined to speak further.

Problems with gambling also affect NCAA football

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who enrolled in a residential gambling addiction treatment programme earlier this week, is the subject of an NCAA investigation. The NCAA is looking into Sorsby’s betting activities, which included a wager on an Indiana football game in 2022 while he was a redshirt freshman.

With just one game played that season, Sorsby did not participate in the competition. Since 2022, Sorsby has wagered over 10,000 times, according to On3.com. Several online sports betting sites, such as DraftKings and BetMGM, received the bets. Depending on the investigation’s discoveries, Sorsby, who transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech, may be permanently barred from the NCAA.

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Source: sbcamericas.com