Several Iowa and Iowa State athletes were facing serious charges related to their sports wagering, but they have pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
ISU quarterback Hunter Dekker was one of the more notable names charged with criminal records tampering, a crime that could result in jail time. However, they have no plead to the lesser charge of underage gambling according to local news outlet KTIV.
“The original records tampering charge against these young men never fit this case, either legally or factually. Hunter, Jake and Dodge are not and never were guilty of that charge. The charge has nothing to do with gambling. Other than the fact that Hunter, Jake and Dodge placed some bets before they turned 21, nothing about those bets is a crime under Iowa law,” read a statement issued by the athletes’s attorney Mark Weinhardt.
None of the athletes will serve jail time but they will each pay a $645 fine.
The other players to take the deal along with Dekkers were current Iowa State player Jake Remsburg, former Iowa State player Dodge Sauser, and former Iowa athletes Aaron Blom and Gehrig Christensen.
Other athletes implicated in the betting scandal could still be facing more serious charges. The Quad City Times reported this week that suspended Denver Bronco and Iowa State alum Eyioma Uwazurike and Iowa State wrestler Paniro Johnson are being charged with felony identity theft. That charge is in addition to the records tampering misdemeanor charges they face.
Both men have pleaded not guilty and will go to trial at the end of October.
While the five men convicted of underage gambling will not face trial or jail time, they will have to wait and see how the NCAA handles their behavior in terms of a suspension.
Given the amount of money wagered, each will have to sit out at least 30% of a season, but as SBC Americas noted earlier this week, one report says Remsburg is facing a half-season ban. The NCAA reserves the right to hand down stiffer penalties for athletes who wagered in excess of $800 depending on the context and nature of the bets.
The athletes were said to have wagered on their own team, which could exacerbate the span of their suspensions.
