As more players are named in the Iowa and Iowa State criminal betting charges, more details are coming to light, including that some of these players allegedly bet both on and against their own teams.
For Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz, if that proves to be the case, it will be a “deal breaker” for athletes on his squad.
Speaking with the media on Friday, Ferentz addressed the growing list of athletes being charged for their betting activities.
“I think the key point there is betting on our games, and that is, to me, it’s a deal breaker if that is, in fact, proven to be true. So, we’ll deal with that when we get there. But, I think as we move forward, I think, at least in my opinion, it’s been a learning process,” Ferentz said.
In fact, Ferentz even suggested that the revised NCAA policy regarding betting may not be stringent enough for his liking.
“I think they came out with something early May, late April, but I’m not sure that’s aggressive enough based on the world we’re living in,” he said. “But, everything’s got to start there. It’s not a compromise, it’s not a negotiation. I would also suggest, based on the number I’m aware of, it’s probably a pretty small number in terms of the big scheme of things, but it doesn’t make it right and there’s no way you can condone that.”
Where Ferentz did raise questions during his Friday press conference was why Iowa is the only state where local law enforcement is getting involved.
He said he found it “interesting” that Iowa is the only state among the 49 with college football programs that is under the eyes of the law.
“I’m not excusing anybody that’s involved,” Ferentz added.
