FARGO — The arrest of prominent NBA figures after an intensive investigation by the FBI into illegal gambling activities rocked the professional sports world in the last couple of weeks. Whether it ends there remains to be seen.
Gene Taylor has his suspicions.
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The former North Dakota State and current Kansas State athletic director has been an outspoken critic of the Division I Administration Committee approving a policy that allows NCAA student-athletes to bet on professional sports. Taylor rarely comments on his social media X account, but when he took to the platform formerly known as Twitter to criticize the NCAA proposal, you know he meant it.
And he means it.
“There’s nothing good that is going to come out of this,” Taylor told The Forum. “We have done some things in the NCAA world that have not made any sense but it’s like we’ll figure it out. This one is one of the dumbest things we’ve ever passed.”
Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier arrested in federal sports betting investigation: Maybe the DI Cabinet and the DII and DIII Management Councils might want to rethink this letting college athletes gamble on professional sports plan 🤔 https://t.co/RIeFQ4c4bm
— Gene Taylor (@KSTATEADGT) October 23, 2025
It still has to be approved by all three NCAA Divisions (I, II, III), but there appears to be a late movement supporting Taylor’s opinion. Last week, Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger reported Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey distributed a memo urging the NCAA to reconsider the decision and said SEC presidents are “united that it is a major step in the wrong direction.”
Taylor believes Sankey is directing his opinion at the NCAA Board of Directors, which consists of nine voting members.
“Let’s pause this and let us figure some things out,” Taylor said. “Because apparently this NBA thing is going to go deeper and even potentially more into the collegiate world.”
Taylor said he has no issue if people want to bet on sports. Knock yourself out, he’ll tell you, if you’re a mature adult because it brings interest to sports in general.
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“But these kids, even before revenue sharing, they had a lot going on,” he said. “If you have a pretty clear line in the sand, black and white don’t bet on sports or you’re going to get in trouble, I think it would deter people.”
The trend has changed in recent years with states passing laws allowing sports gambling in various forms. Not long after Iowa passed a gambling bill, five Iowa State football staff support members were disciplined by the NCAA for making more than 6,200 online bets totaling more than $100,000 on professional and college games.
So what did the NCAA do? Approved betting on pro sports.
“We pass a rule that says you can bet on pro sports but you can’t on collegiate sports,” Taylor said. “These are 17-, 18-, 19-year-old kids who now have money. Instead of telling you not to do it, we’re going to teach you how to do it responsibly. You just can’t do that with young people in my opinion because they’re college athletes, they’re ‘A’ type personalities, they're very competitive and, oh by the way, their buddies are playing professional sports.”
That’s where the biggest problems could potentially come into play, Taylor said. He sees the scenario of a college athlete who has a good friend and talks regularly with somebody in the NBA.
The potential for inside information becomes real.
“They’re going to get that just by talking to their best friends,” Taylor said.
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For instance, if a college athlete in talking to an NBA friend finds out that day he’s not playing or is having his playing time restricted, the possibility of betting the “under” on a prop bet becomes enticing, if not almost a sure thing.
In the case of Kansas State student-athletes, Taylor said the school is responsible for them from the day they get dropped off by their parents until they’re done with the K-State program. The fact athletes are getting paid, and in some cases very well, these days only adds to his argument.
“They’ve got too many other things to worry about,” Taylor said. “If we allow them to go out and bet on professional sports, and particularly now they have money in their pocket … as soon as we passed it, the NBA came out with all of their issues. If they don’t think it’s not going to happen at the collegiate level, we are sticking our heads in the sand.”
010625.S.FF.FCSFrisco
Former North Dakota State and current Kansas State Athletic Director Gene Taylor talks about the Bison team on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Toyota Stadium Complex in Frisco, Texas.
David Samson / The Forum
North Dakota State hasn’t had an issue to the knowledge of head football coach Tim Polasek. Colleen Heimstead, NDSU’s associate athletic director who specializes in compliance, makes it part of a preseason presentation to the team. Polasek did acknowledge the potential for a slippery slope with all of the NFL players from NDSU.
“I hope it stays as simple as fantasy football would be my hope,” he said. “We’re doing a good job here at NDSU in our compliance, educating young people to stay out of trouble and represent the team in a first-class manner. I just hope it doesn’t cause issues moving forward.”
Heimstead said she believes schools will know by the end of the month if college athletes wagering on pro sports will be a cemented proposal.
“It’s easy to do these days just with the phone but you just need to educate as best you can,” she said. “And, oh by the way, it’s still not permissible yet so get your fingers off the phone. … I think the NBA so-called scandal scared a lot of people. I’d like to think we educate our student-athletes pretty well and they don’t have a lot of excess money like some other programs might.”
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How did it get passed in the first place? Some will say the NCAA was tired of getting sued over student-athlete restrictions, such as compensation or eligibility requirements. When Taylor re-tweeted the Dellenger memo from Sankey, Taylor said he got some thank yous from some athletic directors across the country. “But there are some who are in favor of it,” he said. “We were split as a conference and I think we’re split because people think, well, what’s the harm? Everybody can bet, right? Well, there’s a lot of harm and we’re seeing it right now in the NBA and those are adults. I just think it’s going to lead to all kinds of issues we’re not even thinking about right now.”
In a memo, Greg Sankey urged the NCAA to rescind its decision to permit athletes to bet on pro sports. SEC presidents are “united” that it is a “major step in the wrong direction,” per memo.
NCAA Board will discuss the matter. The ban lifts Saturday.https://t.co/qh3UYYNQaw
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 28, 2025
[ Jeff Kolpack](https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/Jeff Kolpack)
By [Jeff Kolpack](https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/Jeff Kolpack)
Jeff Kolpack, the son of a reporter and an English teacher, and the brother of a reporter, worked at the Jamestown Sun, Bismarck Tribune and since 1990 The Forum, where he's covered North Dakota State athletics since 1995. He has covered all 10 of NDSU's Division I FCS national football titles and has written four books: "Horns Up," "North Dakota Tough," "Covid Kids" and "They Caught Them Sleeping: How Dot Reinvented the Pretzel." He is also the radio host of "The Golf Show with Jeff Kolpack" April through August.