The last few weeks saw the gambling scandal in Iowa college football develop. Now, several athletes, including Hunter Dekkers, have pleaded guilty to underage gambling.
Hunter Dekkers is the Iowa State Cyclones’ quarterback. He and a dozen more players were suspected of wagering on sports and using accounts registered under the names of other people to avoid getting detected. Dekkers, for example, is believed to have bet 366 bets totaling $2,799, including 26 bets on his own team.
In August, the scandal also caused defensive lineman Isaiah Lee to depart from Iowa State University amid the ongoing investigation.
Now, Dekkers and four more athletes have decided to come clean and plead guilty to the charges. As a result, the players will have to pay a $650 fine. The plea deal will wrap up the proceedings against the five players.
Had they not pleaded guilty, the players might have risked up to two years of jail time because of their alleged tampering with records.
For reference, the players who took the plea deal are the following:
- Hunter Dekkers, Cyclones quarterback
- Jacob Remsburg, Cyclones offensive lineman
- Aaron Blom, Iowa kicker
- Dodge Sauser, ISU football player
- Gehrig Christensen, baseball player in Iowa
Dekkers and Remsburg are still on Iowa State’s roster, although they didn’t play in last week’s game against Northern Iowa. Iowa State is yet to confirm whether the NCAA has taken disciplinary action against the two athletes. Remsburg was temporarily suspended by the association in August.
Attorneys Say the Tampering with Records Charges Are “Ridiculous”
Attorney Mark Weinhardt addressed the development, claiming that the young men were never guilty of tampering with records. He said that their only fault is placing some bets despite not having turned 21. Weinhardt emphasized that nothing else about the bets in question was criminal.
Aaron Blom’s legal representative, Franz Becker, admitted that the five players should not have violated the rules by using other people’s accounts to wager. However, he argued that the NCAA disciplinary actions are already harsh enough. Because of that, he believes that charging the young players with tampering with records is “simply ridiculous” and only “drags these kids’ names through the mud.”
Becker added that the state shouldn’t pretend to be shocked that young sports professionals are interested in wagering on sports.