Hawkeyes Defensive End Suspended Amid Gambling Investigation

Earlier this month, four Iowa State University athletes found themselves in hot water after a gambling probe at the school revealed they had wagered thousands of dollars on games, including Iowa State athletics. Now, the Cyclones' rival has lost a player for the season after similar findings.

This news comes as universities are cracking down hard on athletes wagering on sporting events. With the ubiquity of gambling platforms, and their ease-of-use on mobile devices, this problem isn't going away. However, Iowa Hawkeyes Head Coach Kirk Ferentz doesn't agree with the suspension of one of his players and believes the punishments is especially harsh.

On August 23rd, 2023, it was announced that Iowa Hawkeye defensive end Noah Shannon would be suspended for the entire 2023-24 college football season after it was discovered that he wagered on sporting events. Shannon was one of 11 current-student athletes investigated for sports gambling.

The University of Iowa could not publicly identify the individuals due to privacy laws, per Sports Illustrated.

Shannon wasn't charged in the state's criminal investigation of illegal sports gambling, and did say earlier this month that he cooperated with the NCAA by providing information:

They’re taking their time doing their investigation, and I can’t be mad at them for that. I mean, I broke a rule. I owned up to it. - Noah Shannon, per KCCI

Noah Shannon is a sixth-year senior defensive end for the Hawkeyes. An Aurora, IL native, he has started 28 games and was listed as the No.1 left defensive tackle on the Hawkeyes. Now, the black and gold are without a key anchor of what is expected to be a ferocious defensive line.

Kirk Ferentz revealed to the media that the program will appeal Shannon's suspension, and also stated that while Shannon bet on Iowa athletics, he didn't bet on the school's football team:

Right now, he does have a year's suspension, a season suspension. We're definitely going to appeal that, the department will appeal that. I'm confident [interim AD] Beth (Goetz) will do a great job, that the department will do a great job. [....] He bet for them, and I'm guessing he got caught up in the emotion. [The app is] on his phone. People are enticing him with 300 bucks of credit if you go with us, all that stuff.

Shannon's suspension comes after Iowa State Cyclone quarterback Hunter Dekkers allegedly bet on several Cyclone sports, including a 2021 football game. An affidavit filed Monday in the Iowa District Court for Story County alleges approximately 366 bets with over $2,799 wagered were placed on a DraftKings sportsbook account linked to Dekkers, per KCCI. 26 of those bets were on Iowa State sporting events.

At Iowa State, Dekkers was suspended along with Paniro Johnson, a sophomore wrestler, Dodge Sauser, a sophomore football player, and former Cyclones football player Eyioma Uwazurike. Uwazurike was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and is currently suspended indefinitely by the NFL as a result, per the Des Moines Register.