Two Texas Longhorns football players have been caught up in a sports gambling violation, leading to disciplinary action from the NCAA, according to reports from The Austin American-Statesman.
The violations, which were self-reported by the University of Texas, also involved three other individuals within the athletics department. While the names of those involved have not been publicly disclosed, the consequences have been revealed.
Between July and November of 2024, five individuals at Texas were found to have placed wagers through PrizePicks, a daily fantasy sports platform. While sports gambling is illegal in Texas, PrizePicks operates in a legal gray area, allowing fantasy-style bets in the state. However, the NCAA — just like every other major league — prohibits all student-athletes and athletic department personnel from any sports wagering.
One of the two Texas football players involved in the violations has since left the program. The second player was initially ruled ineligible but was later reinstated after following the NCAA’s reinstatement process. As part of his reinstatement, he was required to donate all winnings to charity, The university also reportedly implemented additional educational measures to prevent more violations from occurring.
Texas isn't the only program to find itself having to report infractions to the NCAA on sports gambling.
This is just another small example of how we need more guidance and structure in college football. The wild west days of NIL and the Transfer Portal simply don't have enough regulation, and that's not a good thing. Players need to be educated on what they can — and can't — do and there needs to be agreed upon contracts and obligations that hold players and coaches to standards.
Until college football comes together to create its own set of structure, we're going to continue to see infractions like this and more.