Story highlights
The University of Texas at El Paso found out about gambling in December
An FBI investigation found three players who bet on sports, an NCAA violation
No signs that seniors McKenzie Moore, Justin Crosgile and Jalen Ragland bet on own games
Three University of Texas at El Paso men’s basketball players have been dismissed from the team for gambling on athletic events, the school announced Tuesday.
The school said that seniors McKenzie Moore, Justin Crosgile and Jalen Ragland were dismissed from the team after an FBI investigation.
UTEP said it was notified in December that two men’s basketball players had bet on sporting events. The university then contacted the FBI. The investigation found that a third player was also involved.
The investigation found no indication of point-shaving but showed that they all participated in gambling on one or more sporting events. There’s no indication that they bet on their own games.
“To date we have no evidence of point-shaving involved,” Ricardo Adauto, the school’s executive vice president of legal affairs, said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
Per NCAA rules, gambling carries a one-year suspension and the loss of eligibility. Because all three players are seniors, their collegiate careers effectively are over. They are no longer enrolled at UTEP.
“We evaluate every film after every ballgame, and I was not suspicious of any behavior that would have said that they were betting on any UTEP event,” head coach Tim Floyd said. “There’s been no indication of that.”
Moore – the team’s leading scorer – and Ragland had not played the past two games. They were suspended indefinitely by the school in late December.