Money Scandals in College Sports

On February 25, 1987, the NCAA suspended Southern Methodist University for continuously breaking rule violations. The SMU scandal was an incident in which the University's football program was investigated and eventually punished when they were soon caught for other major violations of NCAA rules and regulations. The most serious violation committed was the maintenance of a slush fund, which was used for "under the table" payments. This led to the SMU program receiving the "death penalty", which meant they could not play for the entire 1987 season. The NCAA also reduced the number of scholarships the SMU football program would be allowed to offer over the next two seasons.

In 2010, the Ohio State football program made international news when six of its players got caught in a scandal involving selling their jerseys, championship rings, and other memorabilia in exchange for tattoos at a local tattoo parlor.  This scandal was known as the "Tattoogate." The athletes involved in this scandal were star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive lineman Mike Adams, defensive end Soloman Thomas, and linebacker Jordan Whiting. While Whiting was only suspended for the season-opener, the other players were suspended for five games. What could have been the most significant outcome of this entire scandal was head coach Jim Tressel stepping down from his position after being suspended with his players.

During the 1993-94 basketball season, Arizona State University's star point guard Stevin "Hedake" Smith, who had accrued over $10,000 in gambling debts to his classmate Benny Silman, helped shave points and fix four ASU home games (Huntsberger).  Stevin Smith took his chances fixing games because although he was an all-star at his school, there were days when he and his teammates wouldn't eat because they never had money since the NCAA didn't allow athletes to receive money during this period. Smith's teammate, Isaac Burton, took notice of all the lavish things he was suddenly able to afford, such as a brand new car, and wanted in on whatever he was doing. Burton agreed to fix games, and their bets grew larger and larger as time went on. The bets started to get so large that sportsbooks and other betters would eventually begin to take notice. They were ultimately caught, and Silman would face 46 months in prison.  Stevin Smith received one year in prison, three years probation, and an $8,000 fine.  Although Smith had been destined for a promising NBA career, he went undrafted in 1994 but received two 10-day contracts with the Mavericks before his sentencing (Pekale). Isaac Burton was also fined, and he received two months in jail, six months of home detention, and three years of probation. He was forced to pay an $8,000 fine and had to complete 200 hours of community service (Scandal).