Notre Dame Swimming Faces Massive Betting Scandal

The Notre Dame men’s swimming team has been suspended for one year after investigations revealed it was involved in running its own sportsbook, which allowed teammates to place wagers on each other’s performances.

Investigations revealed the involved athletes committed "numerous violations of NCAA rules prohibiting gambling on intercollegiate swimming and other athletic competitions," a school statement read.

Notre Dame added that these athletes have received "clear and recurrent training provided to all our student-athletes by our Athletics Compliance staff about those rules."

Law firm Ropes & Gray was chosen to investigate the alleged misconduct charges. Its report led to Notre Dame Athletics suspending the men’s swimming program “for at least one academic year.”

The scheme

None of the best sports betting sites accept any wagers on college swimming.

The internal sportsbook usage was reportedly relatively widespread among Notre Dame men's swim team members.

The investigation also found that members of the swim team engaged in wagers on other sports involving different schools. This reportedly didn't influence games but is still a serious violation.

Notre Dame vice president James E. Rohr said: "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."

How the scheme was revealed

There have reportedly been concerns about the gambling culture with the Notre Dame men’s swimming team since the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. Those concerns triggered an internal review, which eventually led to the external investigation, the results of which were delivered to the school late last week.

The findings resulted in swift and heavy sanctions.

Notre Dame stated: "These findings are contrary to the university’s values and all that we stand for in Notre Dame Athletics. 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."

Coaches escape punishment

Penalties won't be extended to coaches of the program.

According to the report, the coaching 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.”

Further penalties have not been ruled out yet, though. Individual swimmers and the men’s program as a whole may still face more sanctions.

The program suspension could theoretically lead to student transfers through the Aug. 27 window, but it has to be noted that any individual penalties will follow swimmers to their next possible destination.

Meanwhile ...

The scrutiny surrounding the spike in student betting incidents isn't going away. The Notre Dame situation is the latest in a string of wagering behaviors that NCAA President Charlie Baker has been discussing for months.

Student betting continues to be in the spotlight with various best sports betting apps banning prop betting on college athletes. But it is a problem that seems pervasive in the 2024 sporting landscape.

The NCAA policy states: “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.”