NCAA DI committee delays vote on sports gambling suspension reinstatement policy
Iowa defensive tackle Noah Shannon’s immediate future remains in flux after the NCAA Division I Council Coordination Committee tabled a decision Wednesday to reinstate suspended athletes who engaged in sports wagering. Here’s what you need to know:
- The committee delayed its vote on proposals for changes to the reinstatement guidelines for two weeks at the request of the Conference Commissioners Association Executive Committee.
- Jon Steinbrecher, chair of the coordination committee and commissioner at the Mid-American Conference, said in a statement that the CCA executive committee sought more time for “membership feedback on the proposed adjustment.”
- “The council agreed with commissioners earlier this month that the penalties for wagering violations in limited circumstances should be adjusted and the respective committees moved quickly to recommend possible changes,” Steinbrecher added.
Backstory
On Oct. 4, the NCAA Division I Council announced it would reexamine reinstatement guidelines for suspended athletes who engaged in sports wagering, provided the athlete did not bet on their own team. All penalized athletes would become eligible to compete and receive only education for a first offense.
The NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement finalized its recommendations and affirmed the guidelines earlier this month.
Noah Shannon’s situation
The delay significantly impacts Shannon, who was suspended for a season after betting on the Iowa women’s basketball team in the Final Four. Shannon, a sixth-year defensive tackle, has missed eight games thus far.
After starting 28 games over three seasons, Shannon hopes to rejoin his teammates and play in Iowa’s last few regular-season games, plus the postseason. Shannon remains enrolled in classes and became a student assistant working with the defensive line. The NCAA allowed Shannon to return to practice when the Division I Council recommended new reinstatement guidelines.
— The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach contributed reporting.
