Oklahoma QB John Mateer says he never bank on sports

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is denying he has actually ever banked on sports after screenshots began circulating online showing he made and received Venmo payments with “sports gambling” listed as the factor for the expense.Mateer was at Washington State at the time and the Venmo deals were with a colleague. After a strong season at Washington State in 2015, Mateer moved to Oklahoma and will be the Sooners’ starter this year. Another strong season would raise Mateer’s stock in the 2026 NFL draft.But involvement in gambling could throw Mateer’s football profession into jeopardy, and after the screenshots went viral he declared the “sports gambling” references in his Venmo payments were jokes.

“The allegations that I as soon as participated in sports gambling are incorrect,” Mateer wrote on social networks. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not properly portray the deals in question but were rather inside jokes between me and my pals. I have never ever bank on sports. I comprehend the seriousness of the matter but acknowledge that, secured of context, those Venmo descriptions recommend otherwise. I can assure my colleagues, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have actually not engaged in any sports gaming.”

Oklahoma launched a declaration acknowledging the matter.

“OU takes any claims of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any scenario of issue. OU Athletics is uninformed of any NCAA investigation and has no factor to think there is one pending,” the statement said.Between Mateer’s outstanding season at Washington State in 2015 and his significance to Oklahoma this year, he was viewed by many as the most substantial transfer in all of college football this offseason. Now he’s a significant player for another factor, as the expansion of sports gambling leads to increased examination on players’activities.