The NCAA concluded one of multiple investigations involving athletes and sports betting on Friday.
The association ruled that three Eastern Michigan basketball players had engaged in level I violations. Those players refused to cooperate with investigators regarding irregular betting patterns on games they were involved in.
According to the Division I Committee on Infractions, not cooperating could result in a permanent ban on the offenders. However, the athletes in question no longer have any eligibility remaining. Thus, further investigations are a moot point.
No Eligibility, No Cooperation
The NCAA also noted that the players – Jalin Billingsley, Da’Sean Nelson, and Jalen Terry – are no longer part of the Eastern Michigan basketball team. As a result, the NCAA concluded their investigation because they can no longer compete in college athletics.
“When individuals choose not to cooperate – particularly when cases involve potential integrity issues – those choices can and will be met with serious consequences, including prohibition on athletically related activities, the loss of eligibility and/or being publicly named in an infractions decision,” the committee said in its decision.
The investigation stems from January, when multiple integrity monitoring services contacted the NCAA regarding suspicious first half betting activity on Eastern Michigan’s Jan. 14 game.
The integrity services later determined the abnormal betting also took place on two previous games that season. Enforcement staff contacted the school and opened a collaborative investigation.
That included an enforcement vendor imagine the phones of the three players on Jan. 29. According to the NCAA, enforcement staff made numerous requests to interview the players through their attorneys.
On March 17, the players’ attorneys notified the NCAA that the athletes wouldn’t participate in the process and ordered the phone images to be destroyed.
These were just three of the 13 players at six schools the NCAA is investigating regarding sports betting issues. Given the outcome, this appears how it will go for all investigations involving players who have completed their playing careers.
