Breaking the Rules: ISU and University of Iowa Student Athletes
IOWA CITY, Iowa. – Seven current and former Iowa State University and University of Iowa student athletes were charged earlier this week with record tampering after it was discovered they had been betting on college sports.
The athletes are suspected of placing bets on sports at their respective schools – and four of the seven are suspected of wagering on games in which they participated.
According to the Associated Press, the seven athletes placed bets between January 2021 and May 2023.
NCAA’s Amended Punishments: What’s at Stake
In late June of this year, the NCAA amended several of its punishments for athletes who violate its gambling policies. For athletes who influence the outcome of games or pass along knowledge to gamblers betting on their games, the punishment could be a lifetime ban from the NCAA; athletes that wager on their same sport at another school could be subject to a half-season ban, according to the updated punishment guidelines. Partial suspensions are also in place for betting on general sports – where the length of the suspension is determined by the amount of the wager (i.e. a $201-$500 wager results in a 10% season suspension whereas a a $501-$1000 wager results in a 20% season suspension).
All told, the seven Iowa and Iowa State athletes combined for a reported 5,000 wagers totaling $100,000 With these numbers in mind, it is likely that – if found guilty – any current athlete would completely lose his eligibility.
Player Profiles: A Closer Look at the Accused Athletes
Here is a quick introduction to the Iowa State University and University of Iowa student athletes involved in the gambling case:
1. Ahron Ulis – former Iowa men’s basketball player. Ulis transferred from Iowa to Nebraska this off-season. He is accused of using his older brother’s identity to place sports bets on the FanDuel betting app. Ulis is alleged to have made over 1800 wagers totaling more than $34,000. Many of the 1800 bets were made when Ulis was under the age of 21 – the legal betting age in the state of Iowa.
2. Hunter Dekkers – current Iowa State football quarterback. Dekkers has been accused of betting on Iowa State sporting events, including at least one football game against Oklahoma State in 2021 when Dekkers was dressed in uniform as the backup quarterback but did not play. The criminal complaint against Dekkers claims that Dekkers placed 366 online bets worth more than $2799.
3. Aaron Blom – current Iowa football kicker. Blom did most of his betting when he was still under 21 years of age and used an account that was registered to his mother. Blom allegedly bet on eight Iowa events including the 2021 Iowa/Iowa State football game.
4. Gehrig Christensen – current Iowa baseball player – Christensen is alleged to have made 23 wagers on Iowa sporting events while on the baseball team. He allegedly made over 500 other wagers.
5. Dodge Sauser – current Iowa State football player. Sauser placed 113 online wagers, approximately 12 of which were placed on Iowa State football games. Despite being a member of the team, Sauser has not played in any Iowa State games.
6. Paniro Johnson – current Iowa State wrestler – Of the seven complainants, Johnson is alleged to have wagered the most money – $45,640 in total wagers across over 1200 bets. Johnson won the Big 12 wrestling championship at the 149 weight class and has been an early favorite to defend his title; however, with the amended NCAA guidelines in place, it is unlikely Johnson would be eligible for a title defense.
7. Eyioma Uwazurike – former Iowa State football defensive lineman. Uwazurike was a fourth-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2022. He just received a full-season suspension from the NFL for betting on NFL games, including at least five Broncos games (two of which he played in).