An elite university has suspended its men’s swimming team over poor conduct and allegations of gambling.
This week, the University of Notre Dame announced that the men’s swimming program would be suspended for at least one academic year, following external and internal investigations that found gambling to be widespread among team members.
In addition to violating NCAA rules, Pete Bevacqua, the school’s athletic director, said the investigations also revealed “a deeply embedded team culture dismissive of Notre Dame’s standards for student-athletes.”
On Thursday afternoon, members of the team were informed of the school’s decision, which stunned many, a Sports Illustrated report pointed out.
Since the decision was handed down before classes start on August 27, members of the team will be able to transfer to a new school in time for the academic year and not miss a swimming season.
Still, if any of these swimmers are eventually charged with sports betting by the NCAA — which has not happened yet — those issues would follow them to whatever school they transfer to.
The diving team as well as the women’s swim team aren’t affected by this disciplinary action.
In addition, Chris Lindauer, the team’s head coach, as well as members of the team staff weren’t disciplined at all. This comes after various reviews found “the staff was not aware of gambling or the scope and extent of other troubling behaviors because team members effectively concealed such behaviors from the coaches and staff through concerted efforts.”
According to the SI report, members of the swim team created their own sportsbook so they could wager on their own performances. It’s believed that a majority of this year’s team placed bets.
Examples are that the team set “over/under” lines for swimmer’s times in some races, and team members placed bets on what the outcome would be.
The NCAA has made some major adjustments in recent years as legal sports betting has expanded dramatically across the U.S., following a 2018 Supreme Court decision that lifted the nationwide ban on the practice.
The association penalizes student-athletes, coaches and staff members for betting on sports, but the most severe penalties are for those who game on their own team and their own sport.
The NCAA updated its legislation in June of 2023, which states, in part:
“Student-athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports. This would also apply to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools.”
Some of the penalties are based on the amount of wagers placed. For instance, for wagers of $200 or less, the penalty is sports wagering rules and prevention education.
Cumulative wagers that exceed $800 could result in permanent ineligibility on a case-by-case basis.
