Iowa Players Betting on Hawkeyes Games ‘A Deal-Breaker,’ HC Kirk Ferentz Says

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Multiple current and former members of the Iowa and Iowa State football programs have been charged as part of a statewide gambling investigation. Some were accused of having bet on their respective teams’ games, which Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz highlighted Friday while speaking with reporters.

“I think the key point there is betting on our games, and that is, to me, it’s a deal-breaker if that is, in fact, proven to be true,” Ferentz said, per ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren.

“So, we’ll deal with that when we get there. But, I think as we move forward, I think, at least in my opinion, it’s been a learning process.”

Per Ryan Hansen of the Iowa City Press-Citizen, Iowa wide receiver Jack Johnson, graduate assistant Owen O’Brien and former Hawkeyes Arland Bruce IV and Reggie Bracy have been charged with tampering with records.

“The tampering with records charge is an aggravated misdemeanor and could carry a maximum sentence of up to one year in county jail or up to two years in prison if convicted,” Hansen wrote. “The criminal complaints accuse Bracy, Bruce, Johnson and O’Brien of falsifying electronic sports wagering records to conceal their personal identities.”

Iowa announced in May that 26 athletes across five different sports were being investigated for sports betting, which is a violation of NCAA rules.

The university further added that it received information on 111 individuals and stated the “vast majority” were “student-staff, former student-athletes, or those with no connection to UI Athletics.”

Iowa defensive lineman Noah Shannon revealed in July that he is also involved in the NCAA investigation into the matter. However, Ferentz downplayed the impact that the investigation will have on the team heading into the 2023 season.

“It’s really not that big of a deal right now, quite frankly. I’m not trying to be coy, but it just isn’t,” Ferentz said, per VanHaaren.

“Noah is injured, he would be the most prominent player, to my knowledge, that’s involved in this. Let’s say he was 100 percent healthy, which he’s not, if we got closer to games, that’s something we’d have to weigh and measure.

“Because if you don’t know if a player is going to be there, you have to get other players ready to go. Because we’re going to play regardless, we’re going to play. So right now, we’ll wait and see, that’s just the way it is. So, it hasn’t really been a big deal that way.”

Iowa is coming off an 8-5 season in which the Hawkeyes allowed the second-fewest points per game but finished among the bottom 10 in scoring in Division I FBS. The Hawkeyes will open their season on Sept. 2 against Utah State at home.