Tennessee Vols address troubling college athletics trend with players
Over the last several weeks, a troubling trend has swept across college athletics and the Tennessee Vols are making sure it's a trend that doesn't make its way to Knoxville. Earlier this month, Alabama baseball coach Brian Bohannon was fired after he was connected to suspicious bets that were placed on a Crimson Tide baseball […]
Over the last several weeks, a troubling trend has swept across college athletics and the Tennessee Vols are making sure it's a trend that doesn't make its way to Knoxville.
Earlier this month, Alabama baseball coach Brian Bohannon was fired after he was connected to suspicious bets that were placed on a Crimson Tide baseball game at a casino in Cincinnati.
Iowa and Iowa State are also dealing with a gambling scandal as 41 athletes between the two programs are alleged to have participated in sports wagering.
Sports betting, which has also been an issue for players in the NFL, is legal in many states, but it's against NCAA rules.
A gambling scandal is one of the only things that could slow Tennessee's momentum right now. But the Vols are making sure that doesn't happen.
According to redshirt senior tight end Jacob Warren, Tennessee recently spoke with student-athletes about sports betting and keeping it out of the program.
Warren mentioned the recent meeting during an appearance with Dave Hooker on "Off the Hook Sports".
"There's schools that are getting a lot of people — coaches, players, different people around the program — that are either placing bets themselves or giving out information for bets or getting other people to put money down for bets," said Warren. "And like it's illegal [in the] NCAA. You can't do it. It's not allowed….I'm pretty sure we literally just had a meeting earlier this week about — you know, because all this stuff came out with those schools — just about protecting yourself and about being smart."
"And honestly, gambling is just that right? It's a gamble, right? It's not smart to do with your money," added Warren. "So at the end of the day, it's like, I'm sure there's things you can gamble on other than sports, right? So if that's what you want to do, sure, go ahead. But at the end of the day, it's just trying to protect us and keep yourself away from the big bad NCAA."
It sounds like Tennessee is wisely being proactive when it comes to the sports gambling issues that are impacting college athletics right now. The last thing the Vols need is for a scandal to pop up this summer that puts a damper on the 2023 season. All it takes is for one player to slip up and all of a sudden Tennessee is dealing with another major NCAA issue.
While UT can't guarantee they'll avoid a gambling scandal — again, all it takes is one rogue player to place a bet — they're at least making sure they've stressed to their players the importance of avoiding sports betting.
