Fresno State and the NCAA are investigating allegations that two men's basketball players participated in daily fantasy contests based on their own performances, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The sources told ESPN that Mykell Robinson and associates bet and entered daily fantasy sports contests involving Fresno State games in which he played. The wagers and fantasy entries included the under on Robinson's points and rebounds, according to the sources. At least one major U.S. sportsbook received increased betting interest on Robinson's props in games this season, according to an industry source.
Robinson, a junior forward, was removed from the roster after playing in a Jan. 11 game against Nevada. Attempts to reach Robinson for comment were unsuccessful.
Fresno State senior guard Jalen Weaver told ESPN on Thursday that he played a daily fantasy contest on his points total in the Bulldogs' home game against New Mexico on Dec. 31. Weaver said he risked $50 that he would score more than 11 points on the fantasy site Sleeper. He finished with 13 points in a 103-89 loss to the Lobos.
"I just made a bad decision, and I shouldn't even have gotten involved with that. Now, I'm obviously paying for it," he said. "I bet on a game I played in, but I never tried to sabotage the season. I never bet on us to lose, never bet my unders."
Weaver said the Fresno State athletic department showed him a text thread between Robinson and himself discussing betting. Weaver said he has been dismissed from the team and plans to enter the transfer portal at the end of the season.
A third Fresno State player, sophomore guard Zaon Collins, was held out of the Air Force game last Saturday for allegedly betting on professional sports, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. An attorney representing Collins in another matter did not return multiple messages left by ESPN this week. Collins remains on the roster listed on the school website.
On Saturday, when the gambling inquiry was first reported, Fresno State said in a statement that Weaver and Collins were "being withheld from competition as the University reviews an eligibility matter."
A Fresno State official declined comment to ESPN, citing the ongoing investigation. The Mountain West Conference did not respond to multiple messages left by ESPN. The NCAA declined to comment on the investigation, citing confidentiality, but said in a statement that it continued to advocate for the banning of prop bets on individual college players. Prop bets, it said, "significantly threaten the college athletics environment -- risking competition integrity and targeting student-athletes for harassment."
"Sports betting issues are on the rise and while the Association, conferences and schools are doing everything possible to protect the games and the students who play them, it's clear the types of bets offered and the prevalence of unregulated betting markets impede our efforts," the NCAA said.
The NCAA prohibits student-athletes from participating in sports betting, including fantasy sports. Athletes found to have manipulated games, shared information with bettors or bet on their games can face a permanent loss of eligibility.
Before the Air Force game, Weaver and Collins were two of Fresno State's top three scorers, with averages of 12.5 and 12.0 points, respectively. Collins also led the team with 4.7 assists per game.
Multiple sources told ESPN the Fresno State case is not believed to be tied to a federal investigation into a gambling ring's links to suspicious betting on college basketball games.
ESPN has reported that betting accounts associated with the ring placed wagers deemed suspicious by bookmakers against Temple, Eastern Michigan, North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State and the University of New Orleans over the past two seasons.
