Oklahoma starting quarterback John Mateer said allegations that he participated in sports gambling are “false.”
“I have never bet on sports,” Mateer posted Tuesday on X.
Screenshots of his Venmo account surfaced Monday and showed “sports gambling” in the memo field for two transactions on Nov. 20, 2022, during his freshman season at Washington State.
Both transactions reportedly were made to one of his teammates’ Venmo accounts.
The NCAA prohibits betting on any collegiate sports, with potential penalties ranging up to a loss of eligibility.
Mateer said the Venmo comments were “inside jokes between me and my friends.”
“I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise,” he posted. “I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.”
The Oklahoma athletic department denied any knowledge of an investigation regarding sports betting at the university.
“OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern,” OU Athletics said in a statement Tuesday. “OU is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.”
The statement said that Oklahoma educates its student-athletes, coaches and staff on issues around sports gambling and use ProhiBet, a service that provides comprehensive monitoring of sports gambling activities.
Mateer and the Sooners, ranked 18th in the first Associated Press Top 25 poll, are scheduled to start the season at home against Illinois State on Aug. 30.
Mateer transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State this past offseason. The redshirt junior passed for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games for the Cougars in 2024.
The other quarterbacks on the Sooners’ depth chart are sophomore Michael Hawkins Jr., Mercer transfer Whitt Newbauer and three-star freshman Jett Niu.
–Field Level Media
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