A University of Georgia football staff member broke NCAA rules by placing bets on professional sports, the school has reported.
As reported by the Athens Banner-Herald, the individual involved in the impermissible sports wagering is not identified by Georgia but is no longer with the program.
Included in the most recent NCAA Level III violations the school listed this month in its latest quarterly report, the wagers occurred in August 2020, but were discovered, reviewed and processed in 2023, according to Will Lawler, Georgia’s deputy athletic director who oversees compliance.
“If the staff member is hired by another SEC institution in the future, the staff member is required to complete a sports gambling education program/session, and the hiring institution is required to submit a written plan to the Conference office for monitoring the staff member to assure he does not commit similar violations in the future,” according to UGA’s violation summary.
Georgia listed 23 Level III violations for the 2023-2024 academic year. Seventeen were in the first six months and were previously reported.
Georgia also reported a violation in 2022 involving a Bulldog athlete who placed a bet on a fantasy sports app. That, too, was listed as a Level III violation, which is considered isolated or limited in nature.
Betting on sports that are sponsored by the NCAA is a violation for athletes or coaches even if in a pro league or international competition.
“We’ve had issues with that in the past, too,” Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said in May 2023, as reported by Marc Weiszer of the Banner-Herald. “It’s more prevalent. I can’t turn the TV on now without seeing something. There’s a lot of debate out there about what’s right and what’s wrong, but the NCAA rule is pretty harsh for gambling relative to some other things. It’s pretty obvious why. They don’t want that infiltrating teams.”
