Notre Dame Men’s Swimming Suspended Over Gambling Allegations

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Last updated: August 23, 2024

Notre Dame, whose men’s swimming program is ranked 16th in the country by NCSA Sports, has made a major move by suspending its team for at least one academic year. The decision comes after both internal and external investigations into gambling within the team.

Most of the men’s team implicated in investigations into sports betting

The investigations revealed that a majority of the returning team members have participated in sports betting, which goes directly against NCAA regulations. Notre Dame’s athletic director Pete Bevacqua spoke out against the practice, which seems to have become commonplace in the program despite the rules, calling the practice of gambling “deeply embedded” amongst the swimmers.

Everyone in the team, including incoming freshmen recruits, was informed last week. The timing was chosen in order to give students the possibility of transferring to other universities with swim programs if they have the choice. Notre Dame’s academic year will start on August 27.

The suspension will only affect the men’s swim team. Notre Dame’s women’s team, and both of the college’s diving teams, weren’t found to have anything to do with sports betting, and will therefore proceed with the new year as previously planned.

Investigations also explored whether staff, including head coach Chris Lindauer, had anything to do with the gambling that became widespread within the team. If it was found that Lindauer or others were aware, they would also be considered responsible and face disciplinary action.

However, the investigations found that staff were not aware of the issue, due to the active efforts of team members to hide their activities from coaches. Therefore, coaches will not suffer consequences as a part of the scandal.

A self-created gambling ring for Notre Dame swimmers

The investigations revealed that not only did the men’s swimming team take part in betting, but they actually created their own betting ring to bet on their own times within the team. These were mostly on “over/under” lines. The reason for the self-made sports book is that no legal gambling companies currently allow bets on college-level swim competitions.

The NCAA has had rules in place regarding sports betting for some time. However, the problem has ramped up in recent years, in part due to the widespread availability of legal gambling for more and more citizens, including college students. There are consequences for college athletes who place bets generally, but the worst offenders by NCAA standards are those who place bets on their own competitions. However, this is not one of the biggest sports betting scandals of all time, and is dwarfed by the NCAAB scandal of 1994.

Betting on one’s own team or individual performances can be seen as influencing the outcome of a competition, which is strictly against rules as it undermines a sport’s integrity. The NCAA legislation states that “student-athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports.”

Further consequences may await swimmers

Though the students involved in the Notre Dame betting scandal have not yet been permanently banned, the suspension of the team for one year is of course a major wake-up call for those who took part—as well as for those who may consider clandestine betting in the future.

The findings of the investigation may also be known to other school programs, in case these athletes do decide to transfer to new colleges this academic year.