NCAA Permanently Bans Three Division I Players for Betting on Their Own Games

The NCAA on Wednesday permanently banned three Division I college basketball players for wagering on games in which they participated, announcing that Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver had their eligibility revoked after an investigation found they bet on contests they played in and shared thousands of dollars in payouts.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions determined the activity occurred during the 2024-25 regular season and concluded two of the players manipulated their on-court performances to influence betting results. All three players were released from their teams and are no longer enrolled at their former schools. The committee classified the matter as a Level III/Secondary violation and imposed no institutional sanctions on either Fresno State or San Jose State.

The inquiry began in January when a sports integrity monitoring service notified Fresno State and NCAA enforcement staff that a Nevada sportsbook operator had flagged suspicious prop bets on Robinson. The NCAA said the formal investigation began about a week after that notification.

According to the committee's findings, Robinson and Vasquez had been roommates at Fresno State during the 2023-24 season. In January 2025, while Robinson was still at Fresno State and Vasquez was at San Jose State, the two exchanged text messages in which Robinson said he planned to underperform in several statistical categories during a regular-season game. The NCAA found that Robinson, Vasquez and a third party combined to wager $2,200 on Robinson to underperform in that game; the investigation determined a $15,950 payout was later redistributed among those who had placed bets.

The NCAA reported additional wagering activity involving Robinson and Weaver. Robinson placed 13 daily fantasy sports over-line and under-line prop bets totaling $454 on parlays that included his own performance and collected $618 on at least one occasion. The findings also said Robinson placed multiple bets on Weaver, a teammate at Fresno State in 2024-25, including two bets placed before a game in late December 2024 after the players exchanged information about their betting lines. Weaver placed a $50 prop bet on a parlay that included himself, Robinson and a third athlete and won $260, the NCAA said.

Fresno State said it cooperated fully with the NCAA investigation. In a statement, the university said it proactively shared reported information about sports wagering activity with the NCAA and worked collaboratively with enforcement staff. The statement added that while the eligibility consequences for the former student-athletes were significant, the case ultimately resulted in a Level III/Secondary violation and no sanctions for the institution.

San Jose State said it was aware of the NCAA decision and that Vasquez had already been removed from the roster before the ruling. Both schools declined further comment beyond their official statements.

The NCAA's permanent ineligibility rulings bar the three players from participating in NCAA athletics indefinitely. The committee's report outlined how monitoring services, sportsbooks and institutional cooperation contributed to uncovering the wagers and tracing redistributed payouts.

Officials have increasingly pointed to third-party monitoring and integrity services as critical tools in detecting betting patterns that may indicate misconduct. The NCAA has maintained strict prohibitions on student-athlete gambling on college sports, and the committee's findings underscore the enforcement mechanisms and penalties applied when those rules are violated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.