Notre Dame will suspend its men’s swimming program for at least one academic year after internal and external investigations revealed a widespread gambling problem that violated NCAA rules and athletic director Pete Bevacqua said in a statement was a “deep-rooted team culture that disregarded the standards of Notre Dame student-athletes.”
The team was informed of the shocking suspensions Thursday afternoon, a source told Sports Illustrated. The timing allows any transfer players, including freshmen, to process their transfers before classes begin at the school on Aug. 27. The women’s team and both diving teams are not affected by the disciplinary action. Head coach Chris Lindauer and his staff were not disciplined after an investigation found that “staff were unaware of the scope and extent of the gambling and other problematic conduct because team members worked together to effectively conceal such conduct from coaches and staff.”
The Notre Dame men’s team essentially created its own sportsbook for the purpose of betting on swimming performances, people familiar with the matter said. Most of the team returning for the 2024-25 season are believed to have placed bets. In certain races, “over/under” lines were placed on athletes’ times, and bets were placed on those results. There are no known gambling companies accepting bets or creating betting lines on college swimming.
In response to the widespread problem of gambling on campuses, the NCAA has changed some of its penalties. However, the sanctions for players who bet on their own sports or teams are the toughest. According to NCAA legislation updated in June 2023, “Any student-athlete who engages in any activity that influences the outcome of his or her own games or knowingly provides information to an individual involved in sports betting activities may be permanently ineligible for college admission in any sport. This also applies to student-athletes who bet on their own games or other sports at their school.”
Notre Dame swimmers who made such bets would face eligibility issues even if they transferred to another university. Some Fighting Irish swimmers also bet on other sports and games involving other schools, including the NCAA basketball tournament, people familiar with the matter said. Such bets would face less sanctions than intra-squad gambling.
The current NCAA guidelines in this area are as follows:
Betting $200 or Less: Sports betting rules and prevention education.
$201-500 wagers: Loss of 10% of the season’s eligibility plus rules and prevention education.
$501-800 wagers: Loss of 20% of season eligibility plus rules and prevention education.
Wagers over $800: Loss of 30% of season eligibility plus rules and prevention education.
If cumulative gambling activity significantly exceeds $800, NCAA reinstatement staff will be directed to consider whether additional ineligibility, up to and including permanent disqualification, is appropriate.
“The national office is aware that the University of Notre Dame has disqualified several student-athletes for possible violations of sports betting rules. We will continue to work with the university as they determine what occurred. The NCAA cannot comment on specific eligibility cases due to student privacy laws. We have no further comment at this time,” NCAA spokesperson Megan Durham Wright said in a statement.
The cultural issues cited in the investigation stemmed from group text chats between members of the men’s team, officials said. The chats did not meet Notre Dame’s “expectations to treat each other with dignity and respect,” Bevacqua said. There was no evidence of physical abuse on the team, officials said.
In addition to the program’s suspension by the athletic department, individual swimmers could face additional sanctions from Notre Dame’s student affairs office.
Notre Dame launched its own investigation after concerns about the program came to light at the end of the 2023-24 academic year. After gathering enough information to sound alarm bells, the university announced in late June that it had hired the law firm Ropes & Gray for an outside investigation. The final results of that investigation were delivered to the university this week.
“The external investigation confirmed and expanded our initial concerns,” Bevacqua said. “These findings are counter to the values of our university and the ideals that Notre Dame athletics espouses. We have decided to suspend the men’s swimming program for at least one academic year in order to end this conduct and rebuild a culture of dignity, respect and exemplary behavior. While individual actions vary, a full suspension is necessary given the overwhelming cultural dynamics across the team.”
A one-year suspension could be a devastating development for a program that has reached new heights under Lindauer, in his third year as coach, after Notre Dame finished in the top 10 at the NCAA championships in March for the first time in school history and then sent freestyle swimmer Chris Juliano to the Olympics as the first U.S. men’s teammate.
Giuliano was selected for the U.S. team in the 50, 100 and 200 meter freestyles and won a gold medal as part of the 400 meter freestyle relay team. Giuliano is not believed to be one of the swimmers who has bet on his team.
“It has been a difficult few months, but I am confident Notre Dame has taken the appropriate steps to ensure that any misconduct does not continue,” Lindauer said in a statement. “Our team culture is my top priority and I am committed to enhancing the experience for our student-athletes both in and out of the pool. I am hopeful that we will come out of this situation stronger than ever.”
“I remain committed to Notre Dame’s women’s swimming and diving program and men’s diving program, and I look forward to working with them to achieve their goals and reach new heights this season.”
Though the program has been on the rise, the past decade has been marked by turmoil since longtime coach Tim Welsh retired. Brian Barnes abruptly resigned as women’s coach in September 2014. Men’s head coach Matt Tolman took an indefinite leave of absence in December 2015 during the season and did not return. And in October 2021, Mike Litzinger, who was coach of both the men’s and women’s programs at the time, resigned on the eve of the season after settling a Title IX lawsuit alleging sex discrimination against a female assistant coach.
Lindauer, a former assistant at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Louisville, was the man selected to calm a turbulent program, but the pool success under Lindauer has been marred by the scandal.
“As we stated at the outset of our review, we take seriously our obligation to foster a community of student-athletes who not only compete and perform at the highest levels academically and athletically, but whose behavior reflects the values of the university,” Bevacqua said. “We hope this decision sends a clear and unequivocal message that reaffirms that commitment and expectation.”
