The NCAA’s 180 degree turn on betting may be coming.
It appears that the National Collegiate Athletic Association has jumped the shark and it’s absolutely no betting policy for people connected with college sports programs may be history. The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee is considering allowing student-athletes and athletic department staff members to bet on professional sports. That is a remarkable shift in thinking. In the days of “student-athlete” purity, just hanging around a known gambler could get you kicked off a college team. In 1951, members of the 1949-50 City College of New York’s basketball team were arrested in a point shaving scheme. Eventually 32 players from seven different schools confessed an involvement in the point shaving scheme. Bookmaker Harry Gross pled guilty to 66 counts of gambling and bribery and was sentenced to eight years in prison. That 1949-50 CCNY team won both the NCAA and the more important National Invitation Tournament championships in 1950. Following the disclosure of the point shaving scheme, CCNY was banned from playing at Madison Square Garden in New York and eventually was dropped to the Division III level.
The NCAA was very aware of the possibility that college players and gamblers knew one another. In 1961, Connie Hawkins and Roger Brown were thrown out of their schools. Hawkins and Brown were barred from the National Basketball Association for allegedly being involved in a betting scandal. Neither played basketball because of freshman ineligibility rules but they were guilty by association. Hawkins would eventually play in the NBA and Brown had a career playing in the American Basketball Association. NCAA officials claim the policy change is not an endorsement of sports betting. The organization also claims that they remain concerned with the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling. The NCAA is investigating alleged betting violations by some players. Gambling may become much easier for student-athletes.
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