Iowa State Football Player Allegedly Bet Against His Own Team
Four additional starters from the 2022 Iowa State football team, including leading rusher Jirehl Brock, have been charged with tampering with records in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s sports betting probe, the Des Moines Register reported Thursday.
The three other players named in the charges are defensive tackle Isaiah Lee, tight end DeShawn Hanika, and offensive tackle Jacob Remsburg. Lee is accused of betting against the Cyclones two seasons ago.
Teammate and starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers faces similar charges to some of his teammates, it was reported earlier this month.
Also, three additional members of the 2022 University of Iowa football team — Jack Johnson, Arland Bruce IV, and Reggie Bracy — face gambling charges. Bruce (Oklahoma State) and Bracy (Troy) transferred this offseason. Student assistant Owen O’Brien was also charged.
Lee allegedly bet against own team
Lee is accused of wagering 26 times on 12 Iowa State football games, including betting on Texas to beat the Cyclones in 2021. Iowa State, nearly a touchdown favorite, won the game 30-7. Lee recorded one tackle in his team’s win.
The NCAA recently revised its sports wagering policies to provide more lenient punishments for some student-athletes who wager on sports. For example, if a college football player wagers $300 on NBA games, it violates NCAA policy, but it’s possible that it results in as little as a one-game suspension. Virginia Tech linebacker Alan Tisdale was suspended six games in 2022, prior to the policy changes, for betting on NBA games.
The rules are not lenient, however, for athletes who bet on or against their own teams. That can result in the permanent loss of collegiate eligibility.
Lee betting against his own team in a game he competed in is among the most serious public allegations currently facing any collegiate athlete, given the competitive integrity concerns.
Other Iowa State violations
While Brock and Hanika didn’t bet against Iowa State, they did allegedly bet on Iowa State football and basketball games. They may face permanent loss of eligibility, with Brock’s alleged volume of wagers (1,327 for over $12,000) not helping his case.
The new NCAA wagering guidelines stipulate that athletes wagering well over $800 — even on sports other than their own — can be sentenced to greater penalties, including permanent ineligibility.
Remsburg is accused of wagering over $1,000 on various sporting events, including a few college football and basketball games. He is not accused, however, of betting on any Iowa State games.
The revised NCAA guidelines suggest Remsburg may face a suspension of 50% of one season’s eligibility, although his amount wagered and other factors could increase a possible suspension length.
Iowa players face ineligibility
ESPN reported that Iowa’s Bruce and Bracy collaborated to place wagers while underage using an account registered to someone else. Bruce and Bracy allegedly wagered more than $5,000 between the two of them, including the duo betting on games they played in during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Johnson allegedly used his mother’s mobile sportsbook account to wager, including on Iowa games in 2021 and 2022.
By wagering on Iowa games while members of the team, each of the three players faces the possible loss of any remaining collegiate eligibility.
O’Brien was accused of placing more than 350 wagers on his mother’s mobile sportsbook account. Three of those bets were on Iowa football games last season.
