A college quarterback is responding to allegations of impermissible sports wagering.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is facing scrutiny after screenshots of his personal Venmo account were shared online, with multiple posted transactions mentioning “sports gambling.”
Two payments were both made to Mateer’s then-Washington State teammate Richard Roaten in November 2022. One had a description mentioning a game between USC and UCLA.
The NCAA bans wagering by players, coaches and team officials on all competitions sponsored by the organization. NCAA guidelines stipulate student-athletes who place bets on their teams or on any sport at their institution could face permanent loss of eligibility.
‘Gambling’ labels were inside joke, says Mateer
In a statement, Mateer denied any wrongdoing, calling suggestions that he gambled on games “false” and insisting that the labels of the payments were inside jokes.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” said Mateer in the statement. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question, but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise.”
Oklahoma has also responded to the allegations. The university said it is unaware of an NCAA investigation into the matter and has no reason to believe one will be initiated. The institution stressed that it provides gambling education to its student-athletes, coaches and staff and also works with athlete-focused monitoring platform ProhiBet.
Mateer is entering his first year at Oklahoma as a redshirt junior who threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024 while at Washington State. The Texas native also rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns before transferring to Oklahoma amid coaching changes.
NCAA gambling issues outside of Oklahoma football
Mateer is under fire as college football deals with gambling-related issues.
In 2023, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation initiated a probe into alleged impermissible wagering by former student-athletes at Iowa State University. The investigation also included a group of student-athletes at rival University of Iowa.
Last year, criminal charges were dropped against four student-athletes involved in the probe, three former Iowa State football players and one wrestler. The probe also led to several penalties with former Iowa defensive tackle Noah Shannnon and former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers losing their full NCAA eligibility. Shannon was penalized for wagering on Iowa women’s basketball while Dekkers bet on his own team.
Earlier this year, the Texas football program was under the microscope after a football player was deemed ineligible for wagering with PrizePicks. The unnamed player was later reinstated and required to repay the value of the wagers he had won. Another football player also improperly wagered with PrizePicks, but the student-athlete withdrew from the school and is no longer playing college football. According to documents, the unnamed student-athlete had previous issues with problem gambling and had sought help.
NCAA considers changing stance on pro sports
Mateer is facing allegations of wagering on college sports as the NCAA weighs allowing student-athletes, coaches and staff to wager on professional sports.
Earlier this year, the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors proposed the rule change requiring the organization’s D1 Council to consider the matter. The council is expected to vote on the rule in October.
A source told SBC Americas some NCAA leaders are concerned about the rule change.
