Iowa State Star Accused of Betting on His Own Team

Iowa State University quarterback Hunter Dekkers is one of four current and former Iowa State athletes who have been accused of betting on the school's sporting events, leaving his NCAA eligibility in jeopardy. And in one instance, the 22-year-old senior was even accused of betting on his own team.

Dekkers and the other three athletes, sophomore wrestler Paniro Johnson, sophomore offensive lineman Dodge Sauser, and former defensive lineman Enyi Uwazurike, were all named in criminal complaints by the Story County Attorney's Office under charges of tampering with records in a sports betting probe. The charges accuse the four athletes of concealing their identities "with the intent to deceive or conceal a wrongdoing."

NCAA guidelines strictly prohibit athletes from wagering on sporting events at their own schools. As such, each of the athletes have separately been accused of being involved in a "scheme" so that it would appear as though third parties were placing the bets, not the athletes themselves.

According to the complaint, obtained by the Des Moines Register, a DraftKings account allegedly controlled by Dekkers made approximately 366 mobile or online sports wagers totaling "over $2,799," including 26 wagers on Iowa State sporting events. The Iowa State Cyclones game Dekkers is being accused of betting on occurred in 2021 against Oklahoma State, when he was a sophomore backup quarterback and did not even play.

However, after spending two years as backup to Brock Purdy, the most successful quarterback in Iowa State history, Dekkers was made starting quarterback last season. During his season he completed 66 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,044 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also threw 14 interceptions, the third-highest total across the country in the 2022 college football season.

Now, with the looming gambling scandal, Dekkers is facing permanent loss of eligibility under NCAA guidelines, putting the 2023 season in uncertainty. In a statement from his attorneys, Dekkers will not participate in Iowa State's fall preseason camp practices in order to "focus on his studies and on the defense of this criminal charge."

"No matter what we’re doing, I’m not going to jeopardize the team,” Iowa State Football Coach Matt Campbell said last month while discussing the players involved in the criminal probe. "What we’ll do is what’s in the best interest of the team."

One of the other athletes named in the complaints, Uwazurike, was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Last month Uwazurike was likewise suspended indefinitely by the NFL for for violating the league's gambling policy.