Kirk Ferentz Admits He Was 'Naive' About Gambling; Adds It Will 'Continue to Grow'

With sports gambling becoming more accessible and states legalizing gambling, it is no surprise that wagering on sports is again controversial in college sports.

On Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz was asked about a looming investigation into Iowa athletics about players betting on games launched in the spring.

“I don’t think anyone condones gambling, especially on the college game. I do think that being said, I have learned a lot the past two months just about gambling. I never really paid attention to it other than we signed a form, probably the same form we signed when I was playing,” Ferentz said on the main stage at Lucas Oil Stadium.

It is unclear how many players were involved and what the sanctions will be.

“First of all, it’s not a large number of players, period,” Ferentz explained.

The initial report said it was 26 student-athletes across five different sports.

While not a new issue in college sports, but one that has resurfaced with the rise of commercialized legal gambling in sports, it is an issue that needs to be looked at by the governing bodies.

“I’m hopeful this is an opportunity with the NCAA to maybe reconsider two things: what the quote/unquote, punishments or penalties might be that are, I would say, fair and relevant to the world we’re living in right now. And then probably the bigger thing is there’s an opportunity right now, I think, for a better education process, if you will.” Ferentz said.

Pregame shows like ESPN’s College GameDay regularly reference point spreads in their analysis of games.

“I’m kind of naive, and I apologize for not watching “College GameDay,” but I’ve got my middle son telling me the other day they cover lines on “College GameDay” before games. So it’s just an illustration of the world we’re living in right now. It’s not going away. It’s going to continue to grow,” Ferentz explained. “Certainly, we want to educate our players and kind of compare it to maybe marijuana policies, those types of things. Gambling is going to exist. It always has. I hope, eventually, the policies will reflect what’s best for college athletics. Certainly, not betting on college athletics would be a good starting point.”

When I asked Ohio State tight end Cade Stover about the education he’s received about gambling, the senior said that Ohio State players “meet about a lot of the off-field issues that could potentially be a problem for us. They do a really good job of preparing us. We are educated on what to do and what not to do. Basically, the bottom line on (gambling) is, stay away from it”.

Gambling is not going away, so it will be up to the NCAA, athletic departments, and compliance departments to set boundaries and ensure athletes do not make an ill-advised decision about wagering on sports.