3 Texas Basketball Players Get Boot for Betting

Players kicked off team and leave school after being found to have wagered on sporting events, none of which involved their school.

Three basketball players from the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) were kicked off the team after being caught gambling earlier this year. In addition, they are banned from participating for any school for one year. The three players, Jalen Ragland, Justin Crosgile and McKenzie Moore allegedly placed bets on at least one sporting event each, which is a violation of NCAA rules. American gambling laws ban the activity in Texas, so most likely they broke the law as well.

Taking things a bit too far

While we agree that the NCAA should take serious measures to prevent sports betting from influencing the outcome of games, this case shows that things have gone a little too far. While the three players violated rules by placing bets, they did not bet on UTEP games or attempt to shave points. It is not even known if they bet on basketball games specifically.

To bet on sports in America is very popular but also very taboo. The activity is illegal in most states and all of the professional sports leagues as well as the NCAA do everything that they can to keep bookies and bettors away from their events. For the most part this is a good thing, but we think that it sometimes leads to very harsh penalties for very minor crimes.