On Saturday, September 2, Iowa State opened the season without the Cyclones’ starting offensive lineman, Jake Remsburg. The football player was punished with a six-game suspension by the NCAA over gambling violations.
According to sources, Remsburg breached NCAA gambling rules after he placed bets on college football and basketball. The player denied making any wagers on the Cyclones. Currently, Iowa State administrators refuse to confirm these allegations and they would not provide any information on the involvement of other players in the ongoing sports gambling investigation at ISU and Iowa.
Cyclones’ Remsburg Accused of Placing Bets on Sports Although None of Them Included Iowa State
In Story County court documents, it was revealed that Remsburg had placed a total of 273 sports bets online, the total amount of which surpassed $1,108. Six of those wagers were placed on basketball and football games that have been sanctioned by the NCAA.
According to the complaint, the football player was informed about the NCAA rules about athletes making sports wagers and was aware that he was not allowed to open a sports wagering account to bet on his own game.
In his defense, Remsburg explained that he tried to avoid breaches of gambling rules by placing his online wagers on UFC and NBA games. Remsburg ensured he tried to avoid NCAA-sanctioned games during his online wagering sessions.
Remsburg’s suspension aligns with the recent NCAA gambling penalties, forcing the football player to miss half of the season. That means he will be able to return in time for the Big 12 Conference game on October 14, which is scheduled to be played at Cincinnati.
Remsburg Far from Being the Only Player Suspended by NCAA Due to Gambling Violations
With the ongoing NCAA investigations, at the moment, a total of seven current or former Iowa State football players have been penalized for gambling rules violations. In addition to Remsburg, the other players who have been charged in the probe include quarterback Hunter Dekkers, running back Jirehl Brock, tight end DeShawn Hanika, and defensive lineman Isaiah Lee. While Lee and Brock have left the program, the other three stayed on the roster.
The accusations against Dekkers were related to tampering with records of the sports gambling investigation conducted by the state’s Division of Criminal Investigation. The quarterback was accused of placing a total of 26 bets on Iowa State sporting events, with one of them being the 2021 football clash with Oklahoma State when, despite not playing the game, Dekkers was a sophomore backup quarterback.
The accusations against Hanika include placing wagers on Iowa State basketball. Based on that, the football player might face a season-long suspension. Meanwhile, if Dekkers is found guilty of the NCAA accusations, he would suffer a permanent loss of eligibility.
In a statement, the attorney defending Dekkers said the quarterback will plead not guilty but will not play with the team during the ongoing investigation process. According to a source closely related to the team, neither Dekkers nor Hanika have started practice even though Iowa State started the season on Saturday.
