Oklahoma QB John Mateer denies gambling, says Venmo transaction titles were ‘inside jokes'
'The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,' Mateer said in a statement Tuesday on social media. 'My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.'
Mateer, who was at Washington State during the time in question, said he can understand why the Venmo descriptions could lead one to believe otherwise, so he decided to set the record straight.
'I have never bet on sports,' he said. 'I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.'
In a statement, Oklahoma said it uses ProhiBet for comprehensive monitoring of sports gambling activities.
'OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern,' the statement said. 'OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.'
Mateer followed former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma this past offseason. Mateer passed for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions and ran for 826 yards and 15 scores last season.
Mateer was one of three players who accompanied Oklahoma coach Brent Venables at SEC Media Days in July. Venables and Oklahoma's players have raved consistently about Mateer's leadership. He's considered one of the nation's top transfers and a key reason the Sooners open the season ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25.
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18 minutes ago
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What is Jim Harbaugh's punishment in Michigan sign-stealing scandal?
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New York Times
18 minutes ago
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Mandel: Michigan's loss of integrity is biggest hit in Stalions scandal, not NCAA penalty
Once upon a time, a future Hall of Fame coach lost his job in disgrace for lying on an NCAA compliance form in claiming he knew of no unreported NCAA violations by his players. The condemnation was harsh, especially from fans of his archrival who had tired of losing to him every year. 'Spare us the hymnal, cooler-poopers,' wrote MGoBlog. 'Jim Tressel is was a football coach, not a social worker. As he did this, he turned boys into men like every football coach does. This just makes him a football coach. He's also a hypocrite and liar who lived up to the 'Senator' nickname in the end, his moral rectitude just a cover.' Advertisement My, how the tables have turned. These days, the phrase 'hypocrite(s) and liar(s)' ought to be added to the lyrics of 'Hail to the Victors.' On Friday, the NCAA Committee on Infractions memorialized what we'd long suspected about Michigan's football program under former coach Jim Harbaugh. Forget lying while filling out paperwork. These guys lied to people's faces. Over and over and over. 'The effort to obstruct (the investigation), and the failure to cooperate aggravated what happened here,' said COI chief hearing officer Norman Bay. 'It made what would have been a serious violation even more serious.' Former coach Jim Harbaugh, now basking in the Los Angeles sun, first got the Wolverines in trouble last year for lying to NCAA investigators about meeting a recruit at a burger joint during a period when recruiting visits were forbidden. He claimed not to remember it, despite receipts and photos suggesting otherwise. The Michigan fan base's spin: Big deal, it's a hamburger. But Burgergate was just a prelude to Spygate, the much-chronicled scheme by which former support staffer Connor Stalions spent three years buying tickets for friends to go to Michigan opponents' games and film their signals. Amusingly, we now know he referred to them as the KGB. If you watched last year's Netflix documentary 'Sign Stealer,' you know Stalions lies to people as nonchalantly as a cat chews up furniture. He'd have you believe he was a StubHub broker with overzealous friends. 'It's kind of like when your aunt gets you a Christmas present that you already have,' he said. 'You're not going to be rude and be like, 'Oh, I already have this, I don't need it.'' According to the NCAA's report, poor, put-upon Stalions also did things like throw his incriminating phone into a pond before investigators could seize it, tell a player to cover for him if interviewed and instructed a couple of interns to destroy the evidence. Advertisement The Michigan fan base's spin for all this became the school's official response as well. 'Michigan noted that the limitation on in-person scouting was adopted as a cost-saving measure — not as an attempt to reduce competitive advantage by limiting the observation of opponents,' the COI wrote. 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'Everyone cheats' has long been a mantra in college athletics, but Michigan, more than most, has long sold integrity as core to its brand. Harbaugh, you'll recall, was once hailed as the definitive 'Michigan Man.' There's no official criteria that makes a 'Michigan Man,' besides having played or coached at Michigan, but Harbaugh himself tried to define it at his news conference after winning the national championship. 'Doing something that's bigger than for yourself,' he said. 'Caring about somebody other than yourself. Never being outworked, doing right. You don't lie, you don't cheat, you don't steal.' So much for that. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
USA Today
20 minutes ago
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Sherrone Moore suspension timeline: Games Michigan coach has missed in career
Potentially the final chapter of the Michigan football sign-stealing saga came and went on Friday, Aug. 15, when the NCAA handed the Wolverines a long list of punishments. Those punishments included another suspension for coach Sherrone Moore. Moore, who's in his second season as Michigan's head coach after being promoted from offensive coordinator following Jim Harbaugh's exit to coach the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers, is set to miss three more games over the next two years. That's after being suspended in 2023 for a different infraction in the Harbaugh Era at Michigan. REQUIRED READING: What is a show-cause order? Explaining NCAA's Michigan penalties Moore is set to miss two games in 2025, with the NCAA adding an additional one-game suspension for the 2026 season. Those games are to be served against Central Michigan, Nebraska, and Western Michigan. Michigan is certainly more willing for Moore to serve multiple suspensions rather than miss postseason play, although the NCAA said there was substantial enough evidence to warrant a postseason ban. Here's the full timeline of Moore's suspensions since he was hired by Michigan in 2018. Sherrone Moore suspensions timeline Sept. 2, 2023 Moore was suspended for one game in 2023 due to self-imposed penalties, as he missed Michigan's season opener against East Carolina as offensive coordinator. Moore was suspended for the game for a separate recruiting violation unrelated to the sign-stealing scandal that involved communicating with recruits during the COVID-19 dead period. The suspension also led to Harbaugh missing three games, as the Wolverines aimed to get out in front of potential future NCAA sanctions. Harbaugh was eventually given a four-year show-cause penalty and a one-year suspension for the infractions. Sept. 13 and Sept. 20, 2025 Moore will miss two games in 2025 as part of Michigan's self-imposed suspension for his role in the advanced scouting scandal headlined by former staffer Connor Stalions. Moore will coach in Michigan's Week 1 and 2 games against New Mexico and Oklahoma, his alma mater, before missing consecutive games against Central Michigan and Nebraska. The NCAA accepted Michigan's self-imposed suspension, but added an extra game for 2026. Sept. 5, 2026 Moore was handed an additional one-game suspension on Friday, Aug. 15, when the NCAA's committee of infractions handed a series of fines and penalties for the sign-stealing scandal. Moore's one-game suspension will be served in Week 1 of the 2026 season, when Michigan is scheduled to face Western Michigan at home on Sept. 5, 2026. Moore was also handed a two-year show-cause penalty after the investigation.
