DePaul Blue Demons at Center of Major Point-Shaving Controversy — Here's What Happened

Betting scandals are far from new in the sports world. As long as humans have been participating in sports, both organized and not, there have been people placing bets, and other people trying to scam others in the process.

So, it's never surprising to find out there's a new betting scandal.

However, the scope of the scandal can sometimes be shocking. The NCAA DePaul Blue Demons recently got caught in the midst of a massive point-shaving scandal, and NCAA fans are floored as the details trickle out. Here's what we know about the DePaul point-shaving scandal and how it all came crashing down.

DePaul's players are under fire after officials uncovered a huge scandal. The New York Post reports that unsealed court documents from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania implicate former players Jalen Terry and Da’Sean Nelson in engineering a 104-77 loss to St. John's on March 5, 2024.

The documents read, "Shortly before the March 5, 2024, game between DePaul and the St. John’s University Red Storm Men’s Basketball Team … defendant JALEN SMITH arranged with defendants JALEN TERRY and DA’SEAN NELSON, and Micawber Etienne and Person #6, for the DePaul players to underperform in and influence the first half of the game so that DePaul would not cover the first-half spread" (court excerpts via New York Post).

The court documents add that around $52,395 worth of wagers were placed on St. John's to cover the first-half spread of the game versus DePaul, covering several sportsbooks. Among the wagers in this point-shaving effort were parlays on this game, along with other games that the masterminds had allegedly fixed by bribing players.

And, shockingly, those involved sent texts that didn't even attempt to disguise their intentions and brought the house of cards tumbling down. According to those same court documents, 'Defendant SMITH and Etienne communicated via text about their plans for fixing this game and for the DePaul players to receive their bribe payments."

They add, "Etienne texted defendant SMITH to confirm that he and his teammates had agreed to fix this game, telling defendant SMITH that the DePaul ‘players ‘trynna make yah the big money while we take a little cut . . . . I just talked to them and we gon see what the spread is’ for the game against St. John’s. Defendant SMITH and Etienne further texted about defendant SMITH delivering the ‘bread,’ or bribe payment, to him and the DePaul players after the St. John’s game.”

So far, 26 players and fixers are charged with rigging the games, making it a massive scandal in the world of the NCAA. This is exactly the kind of fixing that sportsbooks are wary of, and players are supposed to be resistant to.

Whether or not the NCAA will develop new regulations in response to the scandal remains to be seen, but fans and players from other teams are demanding accountability, answers, and a sharper look at the betting system that governs the NCAA's sportsbook involvement.