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The NCAA announced on Wednesday, September 10 “lifetime bans” for three student athletes.
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The bans come from “betting on their own games,” “exchanging inside information” and “manipulating individual performance” to hit certain prop bets
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This isn’t the NCAA’s first gambling case, but it’s perhaps the most important, with three players getting banned for life from competition.
The NCAA has announced “lifetime bans” for three notable Division 1 student-athletes in the wake of a gambling scandal.
While sports gambling is legal in 38 of the 50 U.S. states, student-athletes are not allowed to gamble on any sport that the NCAA sponsors. Sports betting has become a multi-billion dollar industry, with dozens of sportsbooks making it incredibly easy to place a bet on your phone. Any form of sports wagering, even a bet for a few dollars, is considered a serious violation of NCAA rules.
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Three NCAA student athletes have officially been “banned” for life in the wake of their sports gambling scandals.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – APRIL 05: A general view of the court before the Final Four Game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Alamodome on April 05, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Isaac Wasserman/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)Isaac Wasserman/Getty Images
The NCAA announced on Wednesday lifetime bans for three former Division 1 student athletes: Mykell Robinson and Jalen Weaver of Fresno State, and Steven Vasquez of San Jose State.
The three former Division 1 student athletes were men’s college basketball players.
Why were they banned for life?
The ban stems from a Mountain West Conference game between Fresno State and Colorado State on January 7, 2025. Robinson, who played guard for Fresno State, allegedly made three suspicious bets, via a Nevada sportsbook.
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Robinson took the “under” in all of his prop lines – points, rebounds, 3-pointers made, assists. Robinson finished the game with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 made three-pointer and no assists. The bets totaled $2,200 and returned nearly $16,000.
The NCAA determined that Robinson intentionally underperformed. He allegedly worked in coordination with Vasquez, a former teammate now at San Jose State. Vasquez had reportedly discussed the plan with Robinson, having “his mother transfer money to Vasquez via Apple Pay so Vasquez could place the bets — including one on Robinson’s behalf,” according to Eric Crawford. After the game, Vasquez sent close to $1,500 to Robinson.
Weaver, meanwhile, was found to have placed a $50 parlay bet on himself during the season, winning $260.
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How did the NCAA ban work?
The NCAA released an official statement on the banning on Wednesday morning, September 10.
“The three cases were resolved via negotiated resolution in coordination with the student-athletes’ schools, per infractions process operating procedures. Robinson and Vasquez informed the enforcement staff that they did not wish to participate in the processing of their respective cases. Weaver did participate and agreed to the violation in his case,” the NCAA said.
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“The Committee on Infractions does not currently assess penalties for student-athletes who violated NCAA rules but did approve the findings, confirming that the violations occurred. Student-athletes who are found to have violated NCAA rules are ineligible and can only be reinstated with the assistance of an NCAA school. In 2023, Division I members changed the guidelines for student-athlete reinstatement for sports betting violations, but generally speaking, the starting point for student-athletes who bet on their own games is a permanent loss of eligibility.
“Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from the NCAA membership and public. The panel members who reviewed this case are Jason Leonard, executive director of athletics compliance at Oklahoma and chief hearing officer for the panel; Kay Norton, president emerita at Northern Colorado; and Roderick Perry, former athletics director at the school then known as Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.”
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
