Notre Dame suspends men’s swim team for entire year over gambling scandal

National Catholic Register, Aug 15, 2024 / 17:13 pm

The University of Notre Dame has suspended its men’s swimming program for at least one academic year after an investigation uncovered an internal betting ring and a toxic team culture. 

The external review “confirmed and expanded on our initial concerns about a deeply embedded team culture dismissive of Notre Dame’s standards for student-athletes, including our expectation that they treat one another with dignity and respect,” Notre Dame athletic director and vice president Pete Bevacqua said in an Aug. 15 statement announcing the decision.

Bevacqua said the investigation also determined that members of the swim team, one of the top programs in the country, had made numerous violations of NCAA rules prohibiting betting on collegiate sports and had even bet on swimming competitions in which they participated.

Citing team sources, Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde reported that the Notre Dame men’s team had “effectively created its own sports book for the purpose of wagering on their swimming performances.” Forde said that the majority of the returning 2024-25 team is believed to have made bets.

The concerns about team culture, meanwhile, centered on an inappropriate group text chat among the swimmers, according to Forde.

“These findings are contrary to the university’s values and all that we stand for in Notre Dame athletics,” the athletic director said, adding that the dramatic decision to suspend the program was taken “in order to ensure that this behavior ends and to rebuild a culture of dignity, respect, and exemplary conduct.”

The shocking announcement concludes a monthslong investigation that had been conducted by the Boston-based law firm Ropes and Gray. The external review was launched after the university received reports of possible misconduct on the swim team at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

The blow to the Notre Dame men’s swim team comes amid its most successful stretch in program history. Notre Dame swimming and diving took 10th at the 2024 NCAA Championships last March in Indianapolis, the team’s best-ever finish.

This summer, rising senior Chris Guiliano took part in the Paris Olympics, earning a gold medal as part of Team USA’s men’s 4x100 freestyle relay team. Notre Dame head coach Chris Lindauer also served as an assistant on the U.S. Olympic team.

The timing of the announcement gives Notre Dame swimmers on the men’s team — including Guiliano, who Forde reported was not believed to have participated in the betting ring — the chance to transfer to another school before classes begin on Aug. 27.

In his statement, Bevacqua said that while “individual conduct varied, the overwhelming cultural dynamic on the team necessitates a full suspension.”

“We profoundly regret that the small number of team members who did not participate in the conduct, and those who were planning on joining the team this fall, will also suffer the consequences of this decision,” he said. Notre Dame’s coaching staff will not be disciplined, as the investigation found that they “were not aware” of the extent of the gambling and other troubling activities, and disciplined them appropriately when they came to light.

Similarly, the Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team was not under investigation and will not be affected by the suspension.

The NCAA stepped up its gambling restrictions in 2023 amid a spike in sports-related betting. The most severe penalties are reserved for student-athletes who bet on their own sport and team. Notre Dame swimmers who committed these kinds of violations will not escape eligibility restrictions by transferring to a new school.

The swim team members also reportedly placed bets on other college sports, such as the NCAA basketball tournament, inter-sport wagers that are considered less serious than those placed on an athlete’s own sport or team.

A similar scandal unfolded in Iowa last year after seven student-athletes from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University were charged with gambling on collegiate sports, including their own competitions.

The suspension of the men’s swim program isn’t the first time that Notre Dame has taken drastic measures in recent years to correct perceived cultural problems on campus.

The Congregation of Holy Cross-run university shut down Zahm Hall in 2021 over concerns about the male dormitory’s culture, including rampant sexual harassment and defiance of university administrators.

In 2014, the university also made dramatic changes to the Irish Guard, removing a height requirement and requiring that members of the famed, kilt-clad marching group be drawn from the Notre Dame marching band following concerns about partying and a lack of professionalism in the guard.

Regarding the swim team’s suspension, Notre Dame’s athletic director expressed his hope that the harsh penalty would be enough to help the program correct course.

“As stated at the launch of the review, we take seriously our obligation to foster a community of student-athletes who not only compete and perform at the highest level academically and athletically but whose conduct reflects the university’s values,” Bevacqua said. “We hope this decision sends a clear and unequivocal message reaffirming that commitment and expectation.”