The University of Notre Dame announced on Thursday (15 August) that it is suspending its men's swimming programme for at least one year due to widespread conduct violations, including gambling.
In a statement, the Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said an independent investigation was launched after officials heard reports of potential misconduct. The investigation uncovered “deeply embedded” cultural issues. This included “numerous violations of NCAA rules prohibiting gambling on intercollegiate swimming and other athletic competitions”.
As a result, Notre Dame will suspend the entire programme for “at least” one academic year. There have been multiple college betting scandals, including one in Iowa, in recent years but none involving an entire team.
No individual athletes were named in the announcement. Rather, Bevacqua asserted that the “overwhelming cultural dynamic on the team necessitates a full suspension”. The team’s coaching staff is believed to be uninvolve..