Cyclones lose 4 more starters to betting probe

According to court records, four more Iowa St. football players were charged with tampering with records yesterday as part of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s betting probe.

RB Jirehl Brock, NT Isaiah Lee, TE Deshawn Hanika and OL Jake Remsburg were starters last season and were expected to start again for the Cyclones in 2023.

“Since becoming aware of potential NCAA eligibility issues related to sports wagering by several of our student-athletes back in May, Iowa St. University has been actively working to address these issues with the involved student-athletes, and that process remains ongoing,” Iowa St. AD Nick Joos said in a statement Thursday. “We will continue to support our student-athletes as our compliance staff works with the NCAA to sort out questions surrounding their future eligibility for athletics competition.”

The criminal complaints accuse all four players of betting on accounts they controlled but were in the names of third parties. Brock is accused of betting on four different Iowa St. games while he was a member of the team. The criminal complaint also alleges that Brock wagered on Iowa St. basketball games 13 times.

Brock played in two of the four games he allegedly bet on, including last year’s games at Iowa and vs. Kansas St. The Cyclones beat the Hawkeyes 10-7 as 3.5-point road underdogs, and they covered the spread in a 10-9 loss to the Wildcats as 1.5-point home underdogs.

Brock rushed for a team-best 445 yards and three TDs while averaging 4.5 yards per carry last season. He also had 21 catches for 113 yards and one TD.

Lee, a senior who has 23 career starts, is alleged to have made 26 bets on 12 Iowa St. football games, including a money-line bet on Texas against the Cyclones in 2021. Lee had one tackle in Iowa St.’s 30-7 win (and Lee’s losing wager) over the Longhorns as a 6.5-point home favorite.

Lee was making small bets, though, according to court records. He allegedly placed 115 bets, but he only risked $885. Lee recorded 22 tackles, two QB hurries and 1.5 tackles for loss last season.

Hanika is accused of placing 288 bets for $1,262. He allegedly made 70 wagers on Iowa St. basketball games. Hanika had 17 receptions for 244 yards and four TDs in 2022.

NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes from betting on their own games or on other sports at their school. Therefore, Hanika, Lee and Brock could all be facing permanent NCAA ineligibility.

Remsburg allegedly made 273 bets with $1,108 at risk. Six were on college basketball and football games, but none involved the Cyclones. However, for placing bets on college football games, Remsburg could be suspended for half of the season.

“The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s (DCI) Special Enforcement Operations Bureau serves as the primary criminal investigative and enforcement agency for gambling laws in the state of Iowa and investigated alleged violations of Iowa law related to sports wagering at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University,” according to a DCI statement that was released late last night. “The investigation is ongoing and no further information can be released at this time.”

Matt Campbell’s team went 4-8 straight up and 5-7 against the spread last year, losing six of seven one-possession games. Three losses came by only seven combined points. It was the Cyclones’ first losing season since 2016, Campbell’s first year on the job.

They had gone to five consecutive bowl games until that streak was halted in 2022. Iowa St. opens the season at home vs. Northern Iowa on Sept. 2.