May has been quite the month for scandals as states navigate legal sports betting. Now the University of Cincinnati joins the Universities of Iowa and Alabama as the most recent investigation to come to light.
The University’s athletics department announced that its baseball team is under review, and on May 17th Kyle Sprague, the assistant coach, and Andy Nagel, the Director of Operations were relieved of their duties.
“Although the review is ongoing, Sprague and Nagel have been dismissed based on initial findings. UC is cooperating with the NCAA in this matter. Since this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be commenting further at this time.”
There may be more shoes to drop before this is all done, according to FOX19, Head Coach Scott Googins may not be with the team once the investigation is over.
The story
The issue was not that these men were gambling but that another person, a parent of one of the players, was wagering and talking with Sprague and Nagel.
There is no information that any games were affected or manipulated. But Sprague and Nagel needed to disclose their gambling conversations to the NCAA, the athletic department, or other stakeholder.
The regulating body of sports betting in Ohio, the Casino Control Commission, while aware of the firing, added that the school is not under investigation.
Universities under the microscope
This months’ controversies all revolve around college wagering, and baseball specifically.
Earlier this month the Iowa Board of Regents confirmed that student athletes from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University were gambling online, which is a potential NCAA violation.
And before that, the head coach at the University of Alabama was fired after several sportsbooks flagged the school's baseball games for potential suspicious wagers. It was actually the Ohio Casino Control Commission who reported that an individual was placing bets after communication with the head coach.
