Iowa defensive tackle Noah Shannon is facing a one-year suspension for gambling on a Hawkeyes team, head coach Kirk Ferentz announced at a news conference on Wednesday.
Shannon, who plans to appeal the suspension, is so far the only one of 11 current Hawkeyes to come forward and allow his name to be released.
“It needs to be re-thought a little bit, and I’m hopeful the appeal will reflect people re-thinking things,” Ferentz said.
The University of Iowa Athletics Department released a statement Tuesday saying that the 11 names are “protected through the Family Education Right and Privacy Act” and that “specific information will only be released once we have received the student’s consent.”
The University of Iowa announced earlier that 26 athletes across five sports are suspected of wagering on sports in violation of NCAA rules, and more than 100 people have been linked to an investigation. In addition, Iowa State acknowledged that some 15 of its athletes across three sports also are suspected of violating gambling rules. Brian Ohorilko, director of gaming for the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, told The Associated Press in May that there was no evidence indicating match fixing or suspicious wagering activity on Iowa or Iowa State contests.
“I find it highly unusual that were two major universities affected in the whole country,” Ferentz said Wednesday. “We could probably fill Kinnick with all the college athletes that have gambled.”
The University of Iowa and the Iowa Athletics Department said that they have been working with the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement staff to determine the eligibility of student-athletes who were involved in the gambling investigations.
NCAA guidelines established an appeals process and Iowa said in the release that “the university will support student-athletes choosing to move forward with this process.”
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