Pending an investigation, the NCAA has suspended five University of Richmond baseball players due to a violation involving playing fantasy sports.
Details are scarce but it was reported by the Richmond-Times Dispatch that top players Keenan Bartlett and Kurtis Brown were among the five that were suspended. The University of Richmond hadn’t revealed the names of any of the players and apart from a statement at the beginning of the season, haven’t elaborated on the suspensions. The players are suspended until the NCAA concludes its investigation.
It should be noted that playing fantasy football or any fantasy sport isn’t a violation. The issue is that if there is an entry fee, it becomes a form of gambling in the NCAA’s eyes and that’s when trouble arises.
The NCAA rule is as follows:
“You are not eligible to compete if you knowingly participate in any sports wagering activity that involves intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics, through a bookmaker, a parlay card or any other method employed by organized gambling. Examples of sports wagering include, but are not limited to, the use of a bookmaker or parlay card; Internet sports wagering; auctions in which bids are placed on teams, individuals or contests; and pools or fantasy leagues in which an entry fee is required.”
It would seem like that’s a (surprisingly) reasonable view on sports gambling by the NCAA. It’s all literally fun and games when bragging rights are only at stake. When you add in money, then it becomes something serious and the line gets blurred.