NCAA Reveals Punishment For College Football Staffers Who Placed Over $100K In Bets

Yahoo

02-05-2025

The ongoing reckoning between professional and college sports and the expanding sports betting scene continues to undermine the credibility of athletes, sports leagues and college programs.
According to reporting from the Associated Press via ESPN, the NCAA ruled against the actions of five Iowa State football staffers who were alleged to have made more than 6,200 online bets, totaling over $100,000 on professional and college games, including men's and women's basketball games involving the Cyclones.
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Jace Heacock, Chase Clark, Michael Dryer, Kyle Highland and Mason Williams "acknowledged they knowingly violated NCAA sports wagering bylaws, and all are subject to a one-year show-cause order through April 24, 2026," per a resolution finalized between the parties and the NCAA.
The athletic department of Iowa State declined to comment on the story.
The violations were noted to be Level II, meaning the bets could have "compromised the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model."
Heacock, the son of the Cyclones' defensive coordinator Jon Heacock, was a football graduate assistant in 2021 and 2022. In 2024, he was hired as the team's director of football analytics. He placed 787 bets, priced at $55,359.
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Dryer is a former assistant of equipment operations and placed 1,182 bets, totaling $11,536, including 25 bets on ISU basketball.
Highland is a former football recruiting operations assistant and placed 509 bets valued at $6,365, including eight bets on ISU basketball. He now works as the assistant director of football operations for Army.
Cy the Cardinal, the Iowa State Mascot, is shown during the first half of their first-round NCAA men's basketball tournament.© Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Williams, also a former associate of equipment operations, placed 1,455 bets totaling $11,679, including 12 bets on ISU basketball. He is the head equipment manager at Valparaiso.
Clark, a former assistant director of football equipment operations, placed 2,305 bets, including 46 on ISU basketball, priced at $18,676. He is an assistant equipment manager for the Detroit Lions.
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Several Iowa and Iowa State athletes were found in a sting set up by the state's Department of Criminal Investigation. The five Iowa State associates had their names turned over to Iowa State officials as part of the investigation. Many of those athletes pleaded guilty and paid fines, while many had their charges dismissed. More than three dozen athletes have joined a lawsuit against the DCI, alleging their rights were violated and reputations compromised.
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