NCAA Athlete Gets Permanently Banned After Evidence of Betting Against Team Surfaces

Hysier Miller, an ex-Temple University basketball player, has been banned by the NCAA after evidence surfaced that he had wagered against his own team to lose on several occasions.

While most athletes have been accused of simply placing a bet on prohibited events, there have been few to go so far as to gamble against their own team’s performance. However, Miller’s case is not as bad as it appears at first glance.

Miller Becomes Latest Athlete Busted by the NCAA

Miller is the latest athlete to get into the spotlight, after numerous others, including MLB pitchers and NBA insiders, have been named in far-reaching FBI probes. The NCAA has been alarmed by the recent spate of issues experienced in pro sports and has backtracked on a proposal to allow college-level student-athletes to gamble.

Miller has confessed to the transgression, saying that he engaged in fairly small but frequent betting. He wagered against and in favor of his own team in 23 games, out of 42 bets. The bets he placed totaled $473, and they were all placed on parlays, so the gambling activity was indeed minuscule.

The player admitted to the betting offenses but turned down any claims that he had participated in match-fixing of any sort.

NCAA Accepts Miller Is Sincere, But Transgression Too Serious

He vehemently denied accusations that he might have been inclined to underperform to secure a wager he had riding on his team to lose, for example, citing the small amount of the wager.

Miller said that he always played to the best of his ability, but the NCAA found his transgressions too glaring to let him off the hook. Miller was officially banned on Friday last week.

While the measure is tough, the NCAA acknowledged that Miller appeared sincere in his account of the event and was also influenced by the small amounts of individual wagers.