NCAA Punishes Mississippi State Players For Gambling Offenses
David Genge Published 19/08/2026
Two Mississippi State football players have been issued punishments by the NCAA for committing gambling offenses. The unnamed players were found to have made bets on the NFL and NBA in violation of NCAA Rule 10.3. That rule prohibits sports wagering by athletes, staff members, and conference employees.
Both players were found to have committed Level III violations. That's the second-lowest tier of NCAA violations. The two players were ordered to take rules education classes. One player was also required to make a charitable donation. Neither player was issued any further punishment. Both will be eligible to play NCAA football this season.
The NCAA was alerted to the Mississippi State gambling violations
ProhiBet, a gambling monitoring tool utilized by the NCAA to monitor sports betting activity, alerted Mississippi State on February 8 that an athlete had placed a Super Bowl wager. The bet was $50 on which team would win the NFL Championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
The player bet on the Patriots and lost the bet. He was confronted by Mississippi State about placing the wager and admitted to doing so. He also stated that it was the only bet he'd placed. Further investigation found this statement to be true.
Since this was a one-time offense, the player was provided with rules education. No further disciplinary action will be taken against him.
A second Mississippi State player wagered on the NBA All-Star Weekend
Both gambling incidents were unearthed through investigative reporting done by the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger. The second episode also involved a Mississippi State football player. He was found to have placed multiple wagers during the NBA All-Star weekend.
The Bulldogs football player was found to have bet on the 3-point contest during the NBA skills competition. He won $64 on his bet when Damian Lillard was the winner of the 3-point competition.
The following day, he placed a prop bet on the NBA All-Star Game. This wager was a novelty prop requiring the announcer of the NBA All-Star Game to utter specific phrases. That did not happen, and the player lost this bet.
ProhiBet alerted Mississippi State to these suspicious wagers on February 15. Two days later, the player in question met with compliance staff. He admitted to placing the two wagers. Each was a $10 bet. Similar to the other player, he stated that these were the only bets he'd made. Further investigation confirmed this statement to be true.
The player was given rules education. He was also ordered to make a donation of $64.47 to a charity of his choosing. No further punishment will be coming his way.
Level III violations are the lowest form of NCAA rules infraction
NCAA Level III violations are classified as minor infractions. They are also the most commonly committed infractions. Punishments for these offenses are the least severe of any disciplinary measures handed out by the NCAA to athletic programs.
They are considered to be isolated, limited, or inadvertent breaches of the rules that provide no more than a minimal competitive, recruiting, or financial advantage.
These violations are considered to be a breach of conduct and are classified as secondary violations. Examples of a Level III violation not involving gambling would include a coach sending one impermissible text, or a program providing a small impermissible meal.
These violations are addressed through self-reporting and internal corrective action. They rarely require formal NCAA Committee on Infractions (COI) proceedings.
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