Report: Notre Dame Suspending Men’s Swimming After Gambling Violations
According to Sports Illustrated‘s Pat Forde, Notre Dame has suspended its men’s swimming program for at least one year following an external investigation found multiple gambling violations that failed to “treat one another with dignity and respect.”
The team reportedly produced over/under lines for swimmers’ times during races, “effectively creating its own sportsbook,” and placed bets on their results. The suspension was announced on Thursday. This ruling won’t affect the women’s swim and dive teams.
Notre Dame gambling report: the skinny
Notre Dame began an internal investigation after the 2023-24 season, with concern levels rising. That caused the university to contract Ropes & Gray law firm for an external inquiry. Athletics director Pete Bevacqua and her team were informed of its findings this week.
In his statement on Thursday, Bevacqua considered these circumstances to be “a deeply embedded team culture dismissive of Notre Dame’s standards for student-athletes.” Bevcaqua also noted that not all team members played a role in these violations. Coach Chris Lindauer and his staff fully cooperated with the review.
How Will The NCAA Respond?
In June 2023, the NCAA introduced new regulations for sports betting violations for all sports. They enforce 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.”
In recent months, the NCAA has adjusted its penalties for wagers that didn’t involve sports that the athlete competes in. Nevertheless, these circumstances fall under a different umbrella, with the following enforcement applying to different amounts that were wagered:
- $200 or less: sports wagering rules and prevention education.
- $201-$500: loss of 10 percent of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
- $501-$800: loss of 20 percent of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
- Greater than $800: loss of 30 percent of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
In March, Notre Dame’s swimming team tallied a 10th-place finish in the NCAA Men’s Championships. Chris Guiliano, a member of the Fighting Irish’s program, won gold for the U.S. with the 4×100-meter freestyle relay group in the Paris Olympics. Forde does not believe Guiliano took part in placing bets.
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