The NCAA brought down the hammer on the University of Richmond baseball team earlier this month, suspending five players to start the season for participating in a fantasy football league, according to John O’Connor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Among the five players suspended were pitcher Keenan Bartlett and infielder Kurtis Brown, two of Richmond’s best prospects.
Fantasy sports are considered to a form of sports wagering and therefore off-limits to student-athletes.
Per O’Connor, the NCAA rules state:
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 doesn’t sound like the Richmond players were involved in any serious gambling. Fantasy football leagues are pretty common these days. It seems like the NCAA took this one a little too seriously.
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