AUSTIN, TX — Head coach Steve Sarkisian made his feelings known about the new NCAA ruling on professional sports betting Thursday.
“I disagree with the NCAA on this, and I was very vocal about it,” Sarkisian said.
The ruling, which was approved on Wednesday and goes into effect on Nov. 1, allows collegiate athletes and athletic department staff members to bet on professional sports.
“I’m disappointed in this ruling,” Sarkisian said. “That this is what we decided to do with our young people, when they could be doing something really substantial in their life, for their own life, and for their families’ lives.
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“Not all of them are going to gamble, so let’s be clear about that. But some are. And is that what we were trying to accomplish with this?”
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The NCAA emphasized it doesn’t endorse sports betting for student athletes. However, Sarkisian said the ruling creates issues in the current collegiate climate with NIL and brand deals, allowing young athletes to irresponsibly spend their money.
“The players now have money, so now let’s give them the freedom to take that money and gamble it away?” Sarkisian said. “That makes no sense to me when we’re in a space of educating young people, and part of educating young people is what to do with their money…
“It was a lot easier for us when they couldn’t gamble at all becuas that was an easy way for us to educate them and an easy way for us to penalize them and do the things we needed to do. Now we have to put guardrails up.”
The NCAA has had to deal with more sports betting cases in recent years. Last month, the NCAA banned three college men’s basketball players for betting on their own games.
Sarkisian said the ruling doesn’t help with enforcement.
“I get it, it was probably hard to hard to police before,” Sarkisian said. “I think they just made it even harder for all of us to police now.”
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