SEC Quarterback Responds to Gambling Allegations

(KMDL-FM) The answer is yes. Yes, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, and even the folks in Mississippi are ready for some football. Here in Louisiana, we've already had our first preseason freak-out over quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

How passionate are football fans in Louisiana? In less than 24 hours, just about every LSU Tigers fan has become an expert on tendinitis in the patella of the knee. That's the "big injury" that LSU quarterback Nussmeier was reported to have sustained. And as is typical in the South when it comes to football, we blew it all out of proportion.

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And while the news is good for LSU and Alabama has just named its starting quarterback for the 2025 college football season, not all the news is rosy that is coming out of Southeastern Conference fall football camps.

I am sure you're painfully aware of just how much "big money" is making its presence felt in college football. Not only are players getting "paid" with Name, Image, and Likeness money, but there is another, more sinister specter that could be infiltrating the hallowed halls of legitimate sports competition.

The increasing popularity of online sports wagering sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings has meant that college football programs are having to monitor activity associated with their players even more closely than before. One such Southeastern Conference School that is currently dealing with gambling allegations is the University of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma transfer quarterback John Mateer has released a statement in connection with allegations that suggested he had placed wagers on college football games.

The raised allegations against Mateer appear to be screenshots of alleged communications between Mateer and another individual that seem to suggest Mateer was paying off gambling debts via Venmo.

The alleged comminiques between Mateer and the other individual were reported to have taken place in 2022 while Mateer was a freshman at Washington State University. The alleged communications, which you can see below, suggest there was a payment made in connection with the UCLA vs USC college football game.

The University of Oklahoma reacted to the allegations and issued a statement regarding the concerns the alleged text messages may have raised.  You can read that statement from OU here. 

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The statement suggests that the university is aware of the situation and takes allegations such as this very seriously. However, they are unaware of any NCAA investigations, either ongoing or pending, regarding this issue.

Mateer is expected to be the starting quarterback for Oklahoma when they begin play on August 30th. The Sooners will face the LSU Tigers on November 29th; the start time for that game has not been announced.