The NCAA has permanently banned three Division I college basketball players after an investigation found they had bet on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State, resulting in thousands of dollars in winnings. The decision, announced Wednesday by the NCAA Committee on Infractions, affects Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez, and Jalen Weaver.
According to the findings, the three athletes either placed bets on each other’s games or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season. Two of them also manipulated their performance to ensure certain bets were successful.
A sports integrity monitoring service notified Fresno State and NCAA enforcement staff in January after a Nevada sportsbook flagged suspicious prop bets involving Robinson. The investigation began soon after. Neither Fresno State nor San Jose State responded immediately to requests for comment. Attempts by The Associated Press to contact the former players were unsuccessful.
Robinson and Vasquez were roommates at Fresno State during the 2023-24 season. In January 2025, while Robinson remained at Fresno State and Vasquez was at San Jose State, they discussed via text message Robinson’s intention to underperform in specific statistical categories during a game. The NCAA reported that Robinson also placed several bets on Weaver, his teammate at Fresno State during the 2024-25 season.
In one instance, Robinson, Vasquez, and a third party collectively wagered $2,200 on Robinson’s underperformance; they shared a payout totaling $15,950. Over that same season, Robinson made 13 daily fantasy sports prop bets totaling $454—bets that included his own performance—and collected $618 from one such bet.
Robinson also placed multiple wagers on Weaver after exchanging information about betting lines before a late December 2024 game. Weaver himself placed a $50 parlay prop bet involving himself, Robinson, and another athlete; he won $260 as a result.
The NCAA stated that both Vasquez and Robinson did not cooperate with investigators. Weaver cooperated with enforcement staff and accepted responsibility for his violation.
All three players have been released from their teams and are no longer enrolled at their respective schools. No penalties were imposed on either institution.
This case comes eight years after a significant federal investigation into off-the-books payments to college basketball players—a major scandal at the time—and follows recent concerns about gambling within college athletics as legalized betting expands across the United States.
The NCAA said in June that its enforcement staff has resolved several recent sports betting-related violations by school staff members and is working through additional ongoing cases related to gambling allegations (“The enforcement staff’s sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years…”). Jon Duncan, vice president of enforcement for the NCAA added: “The enforcement staff’s sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years, and our staff — including our new sports betting integrity unit — has been effective in detecting and pursuing violations.”
The organization is considering changes to its policies regarding gambling among athletes and staff members—including possibly allowing them to bet on professional sports—while focusing stricter oversight on college-level betting activities that could impact game integrity. A proposal introduced by the Division I Council will be reviewed this fall; it would take effect if approved by Divisions II and III as well.
