Iowa Athletics Is Investigating 26 Student Athletes For Potential Sports Wagering Violations

After University of Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon was fired last week amid an investigation into suspecious betting activity, another school is now being investigated, according to a report. Iowa Hawkeyes baseball is currently under investigation by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, which the commission confirmed Monday afternoon.

But it doesn't stop there.

OutKick can confirm that Iowa is now investigating 26 current student athletes. These sports range from football, baseball, wrestling, men's basketball, track and field. The school released a statement on Monday night.

"The University of Iowa and the Department of Athletics are aware of the sports wagering investigation and are fully cooperating. We have alerted the NCAA of the potential violations and we have hired outside counsel to assist in the investigative process," the school announced.

This all comes a week after the college baseball world was sent into a frenzy when Alabama's Bohannon was implicated for gambling on the LSU game. Now, the University of Iowa’s baseball team is being investigated for potential infractions. And not to be outdone, Iowa State self-reported its own gambling violations on Monday as well.

Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has confirmed an investigation is underway. It should be noted that betting on Iowa baseball has not been halted at this moment.

Iowa athletics released a statement this past weekend noting that a few players were kept from playing in a series against Ohio State “due to a potential violation."

Now, Action Network is reporting that the Iowa gaming commission is looking into the baseball program. This past weekend against the Buckeyes, three players were held out of action, including utility player Keaton Anthony and relief pitcher Jacob Henderson, according to On3.

“The commission takes the integrity of gaming in the state seriously and is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide any additional information when able,” Brian Ohorilko, the director of gaming for the state’s commission, told Action Network.

Alabama Is Currently Investigating Former Coach Brad Bohannon

After it was announced that the Ohio gaming commission put a halt on all betting related to Alabama baseball, rumors started to circulate about the reason.

The Alabama head coach was alleged to have been in communication with a bettor in Ohio, who then placed a sizable wager on LSU to win.

The school then launched an investigation, along with the Ohio regulator, to determine if anyone else was involved. After two days of going through records, the school found cause to terminate Bohannon.

"Alabama director of athletics Greg Byrne announced he has initiated the termination process for head baseball coach Brad Bohannon for, among other things, violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of University employees,” the statement reads. “Bohannon has been relieved of all duties and Jason Jackson will serve as the interim head coach. There will be no further comment at this time pending an ongoing review.”

As for the Alabama case, investigators say they have video evidence that showed Brad Bohannon was communicating directly with a bettor at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

Now attention turns to the investigation by the Iowa Racing and Game Commission. The Iowa athletics department did not respond to OutKick's request for comment.

Written by
Trey Wallace is the host of The Trey Wallace Podcast that focuses on a mixture of sports, culture, entertainment along with his perspective on everything from College Football to the College World Series. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. He’s broken some of the biggest college stories including the Florida football “Credit Card Scandal” along with the firing of Jim McElwin and Kevin Sumlin. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Wallace also appears on radio across seven different states breaking down that latest news in college sports.