The University of Notre Dame has suspended its men's swimming team for one academic year after internal and external investigations revealed "numerous violations of NCAA rules prohibiting gambling on intercollegiate swimming and other athletic competitions," the school announced Thursday.
The university enlisted Ropes & Gray LLP to conduct an in-depth review after learning of possible misconduct on the men's swimming team.
"The external review confirmed and expanded on our initial concerns about a deeply embedded team culture dismissive of Notre Dame's standards for student-athletes, including our expectation that they treat one another with dignity and respect," Notre Dame vice president James E. Rohr and director of athletics Pete Bevacqua said in a statement.
Despite the widespread scale of the legal sports betting industry in the U.S., there are currently no known gambling operators that take bets or produce betting lines on college swimming.
The Notre Dame men’s swimming team took matters into its own hands by allegedly creating and running its own sportsbook where teammates could wager on one another’s results in competitions, sources told Sports Illustrated. Over/under lines were established for swimmers' times in certain races, and a majority of the would-be returning 2024-25 team is believed to have placed bets on the outcomes.
The team was informed of its suspension Thursday afternoon.
“These findings are contrary to the University’s values and all that we stand for in Notre Dame athletics," read the school statement. "In order to ensure that this behavior ends and to rebuild a culture of dignity, respect, and exemplary conduct, we have decided to suspend the men’s swimming program for at least one academic year. While individual conduct varied, the overwhelming cultural dynamic on the team necessitates a full suspension.”
What went wrong?
Concerns about the program came to light at the end of the 2023-24 academic year, triggering Notre Dame to initiate its own review. The final findings were delivered to the school this week, with major culture issues arising from a group text chat among the men’s team members.
This is a devastating blow for a program that was on the rise under head coach Chris Lindauer, who is entering his third season at the helm. Freestyler Chris Guiliano represented the United States at the Paris Olympics, becoming Notre Dame’s first male swimmer to do so. The university also notched a top-10 finish at the NCAA championships in March, its first in program history.
Guiliano, who won a gold medal as part of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay team at the Olympics, is not believed to be one of the swimmers who wagered on his own team.
Lindauer and his staff were not disciplined either, as the reviews found that “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.”
What now?
Notre Dame’s office of student affairs may still levy additional sanctions on individual swimmers in addition to the program’s athletic department suspension.
Returning athletes and incoming freshmen committed to the program have the chance to transfer before classes begin at the school on Aug. 27, but any potential eligibility issues stemming from ensuing NCAA penalties would follow them to other schools in the event they do decide to transfer.
The NCAA has been rallying against gambling expansion in the wake of a significant uptick in athletes betting on sports. Gambling penalties are most severe for athletes who gamble on their own sport and own team, and there is a scale of penalties for all possible wagering violations.
Updated NCAA legislation from June 2023 states that “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.”
