Report: Notre Dame Men’s Swimming Suspended At Least 1 Year After Gambling Probe

Notre Dame has suspended its men’s swimming program for at least one year after internal and external probes revealed a gambling issue that violated NCAA rules, per Sports Illustrated‘s Pat Forde.

In a statement, athletics director Pete Bevacqua called the situation “a deeply embedded team culture dismissive of Notre Dame’s standards for student-athletes.”

According to Forde, the team learned of the suspension Thursday, giving athletes time to transfer before the start of the academic year on Aug. 27. The women’s swim and both dive teams are not impacted by the suspension.

Following the end of the 2023-24 season, concerns about the issue arose, leading to an internal investigation from the university. Notre Dame then contracted Ropes & Gray law firm for an external investigation, and the findings of that review were given to the university this week.

While members of Notre Dame’s men’s swimming team are eligible to transfer, any sanctions given by the NCAA would follow them to their new schools. Members of the incoming freshman class are also eligible to transfer before the start of the school year.

According to Forde, the team “effectively created its own sports book” to make wagers on its performances, and most of the returning team is believed to have placed bets. The team created “over/under” lines for swimmer’s times in races, and members made wagers on those outcomes. Forde noted that no known gambling companies accept bets or produce betting lines for collegiate swimming.

The NCAA approved new guidelines for sports wagering violations last June. The new rules state that “student-athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports. This would also apply to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools.”

While it is not yet clear how many members of Notre Dame’s team wagered, different amounts have coinciding penalties, as Forde relayed:

• $200 or less: sports wagering rules and prevention education.
• $201-$500: loss of 10 percent of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
• $501-$800: loss of 20 percent of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
• Greater than $800: loss of 30 percent of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.

Forde noted that along with the suspension of the swimming program, individual athletes could receive punishments from Notre Dame’s office of student affairs.

Notre Dame’s men’s swimming team finished the 2023-24 season by placing 10th in the NCAA Men’s Championships in March. Fighting Irish freestyler Chris Guiliano recently represented the United States in the Paris Olympics, winning gold with the 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. According to Forde, Guiliano is not believed to have participated in making wagers.