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Last month, the NBA was rocked by a massive gambling investigation. Dozens of people with ties to the league, including a current head coach, were arrested on October 23.
At the time, the investigation was not believed to involve 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 Committee on Infractions announced that it had “discovered violations committed by six student-athletes who participated in men’s basketball competition at New Orleans, Mississippi Valley and Arizona State.”
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The NCAA logo on the entrance sign outside of NCAA headquarters, February 28, 2023, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The cases at the three schools are considered distinct, but each shares similarities involving alleged betting with the intent to manipulate games or student-athletes giving inappropriate information to known bettors.
“Additionally, 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, the student-athletes all violated the rules of ethical conduct, triggering permanent ineligibility,” the NCAA said.
THREE FORMER EAST MICHIGAN BASKETBALL PLAYERS DEFYED SPORTS BETTING INVESTIGATION, NCAA SAYS
The NCAA named the following six individuals: Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, Jamond Vincent, Donovan Sanders, Alvin Stredic and Chatton “BJ” Freeman. As of this year, none of these athletes are currently 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 host a January game against Alabama A&M. Before a game against Tulsa in December 2024, Sanders was heard talking about “throwing a game,” the NCAA said.
Hunter and Sanders have refused to cooperate in their respective cases, the governing body of college athletics in the United States said. Meanwhile, Stredic, Vincent and Short have not responded to law enforcement while their respective cases are being processed. 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 construction 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 imposed on student-athletes who violated NCAA rules, but approved the findings, confirming that the violations occurred.”
On Friday, ESPN reported that the six players named in three separate cases had their NCAA eligibility permanently revoked.
An estimated 30 current and former men’s basketball players have been investigated, the NCAA announced in October.
Additionally, last month, at least three former Eastern Michigan men’s basketball players refused to cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation into questionable sports betting activities. The NCAA photographed the personal phones of Jalin Billingsley, Da’Sean Nelson and Jalen Terry in January. The review stems from unusual betting activity associated with Eastern Michigan’s game against Central Michigan on Jan. 14, according to findings made available in late October.
