Three men’s college basketball players had their NCAA eligibility permanently revoked on Wednesday following an investigation by the organization into gambling-related infractions.
Three former Fresno State basketball players, Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver received permanent bans after the NCAA Committee on Infractions initiated a probe that found the former NCAA student-athletes “manipulated their performances” to win bets with payouts distributed between themselves and third parties.
The infractions took place during the 2024-25 regular season.
NCAA gambling rules prohibit wagering by all players, coaches, and team officials on events sponsored by the organization. Rules also ban betting on professional competition. In 2023, the NCAA updated its guidelines to include the potential permanent loss of eligibility for student-athletes who influence the outcome of their own games or provide information to third parties involved in gambling.
The NCAA’s investigation was initiated in February following self-reporting by Fresno State and a sports betting integrity monitoring service about suspicious prop wagers placed on Robinson. The self-reporting by Fresno State came from head men’s basketball coach Vance Walberg, who notified the institution of a gambling issue with his players.
The investigation led to the dismissal of Robinson from the North Texas basketball program after his transfer from Fresno State. Weaver, along with Fresno State guard Zaon Collins, received indefinite suspensions. Vasquez parted ways with the San Jose State men’s basketball program in February after his transfer in the wake of the NCAA’s probe.
DFS contests led to an NCAA ban
The NCAA enforcement team found in the investigation that Robinson and Vasquez discussed over text messages in January plans for Robinson to “underperform” based on his statistical categories for a DFS operator.
An ESPN report from February named Sleeper as a fantasy platform used by the players.
Robinson, Vasquez and a co-conspirator collectively wagered $2,200 on Robinson’s “under” for his stat categories. The group pocketed $15,950 after Robinson underperformed during the game the DFS wagers were placed on.
Robinson would later place 13 DFS wagers, totaling $454. The parlay wagers included both over/under markets and included his own performances. The Texas native also communicated with Weaver about their respective betting lines in December 2024, leading Robinson to place multiple bets on his teammate Weaver.
Weaver also wagered on himself, playing a $50 DFS parlay bet that included Robinson and another student-athlete. The wager resulted in Weaver winning $260.
Robinson and Vasquez failed to cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation, while Weaver participated and admitted his role in the gambling scheme.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions had three members review the case. The group was Oklahoma Executive Director of Athletics Compliance Jason Leonard, Northern Colorado President Emerita Kay Norton and former IU Indianapolis Athletics Director Roderick Perry.
In addition to the NCAA, the Mountain West Conference reviewed the gambling scheme.
