On Thursday, August 15th, Notre Dame suspended their men’s swimming program for the entirety of the 2024-2025 season after finding evidence that the swimmers violated National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) gambling rules. Both internal and external investigations concluded that the Notre Dame men’s swimming program was guilty of gambling and violating Notre Dame’s team culture standards for student-athletes.
The gambling took place over the 2023-2024 swimming season. The men’s team created their own makeshift sports book to keep track of their bets. In this book, the swimmers could place wagers on the times posted at their upcoming swim meets. The swimmers established over/under lines for their times in specific races, and the wagers were placed on the outcomes. The team only placed wagers on their own times and places, not on any other opposing swimming programs. Wagering on any college athletic competition is against the NCAA gambling rules which are outlined as followed:
Wagers of $200 or less: sports wagering rules and prevention education
Wagers of $201-$500: loss of 10% of a season of eligibility plus rules and prevention education
Wagers of $501-$800: loss of 20% of a season of eligibility plus rules and prevention education
Wagers of $800 or more: loss of 30% of a season of eligibility plus rules and prevention education
For cumulative wagering activities that greatly exceed $800, NCAA reinstatement staff are directed to consider whether additional loss of eligibility, including permanent ineligibility, are appropriate.
The Notre Dame men’s wagers greatly exceeded $800, leading to the loss of their entire 2024-2025 swimming season.
Along with the gambling violations, Pete Bevacqua, Notre Dame’s athletic director, investigated the men’s team’s dismissal of team culture standards set by Notre Dame for all their student athletes. Bevacqua found through a group text chat that the men were not meeting the expectations of treating each other with dignity and respect. This extended the suspension already enforced from the team’s gambling.
Only the men’s team was found guilty of gambling and dismissing the team culture standards. Of the men’s team, only 60% of the swimmers were found to have participated in the wagering. This excluded one of Notre Dame’s top swimmers, Chris Guiliano, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Because neither of the diving programs, nor the women’s swimming program were found guilty of participating in gambling or violating culture standards, they will continue with their normal 24-25 seasons.
The one year suspension has not only affected the current swimmers on the team, but it has also affected the incoming 2024 recruits. Incoming freshmen recruits were given until August 27th, the official start of classes, to transfer to another school because of the loss of their freshman season. This year of ineligibility will decrease the number of men on the 2024-2025 roster, and could negatively impact the possible recruits for the 2025-2026 season.
This gambling scandal has negatively tainted the image of the Notre Dame men’s swimming program. With the loss of incoming recruits for the 2024-2025 season, and a stall in recruits for the 2025-2026 season, the Notre Dame men’s swimming program has lots of work to do to insure the future success and rebuilding of their program.
Works Cited
Fighting Irish.com. “Men’s Swimming Program Suspended For A Minimum Of One Academic Year.” Notre Dame Athletics, 15 August 2024, https://fightingirish.com/mens-swimming-program-suspended-for-a-minimum-of-one-academic-year/. Accessed 14 October 2024.
Forde, Pat. “Sources: Notre Dame Suspends Men’s Swimming Program One Year Due to Gambling Investigation.” Sports Illustrated, 15 August 2024, https://www.si.com/college/sources-notre-dame-suspends-mens-swimming-program-one-year-after-gambling-investigation. Accessed 14 October 2024.
Purdum, David. “Gambling violations prompt Notre Dame men’s swim team suspension.” ESPN, 15 August 2024, https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/40872823/gambling-violations-prompts-notre-dame-men-swim-team-suspension. Accessed 14 October 2024.
