Ex-Eastern Michigan men’s basketball players refused to cooperate in NCAA betting probe

Three former Eastern Michigan men’s basketball players declined to participate in an NCAA investigation into potential sports betting violations, the Division I Committee on Infractions announced on Friday. Jalin Billingsley, Da’Sean Nelson and Jalen Terry, all of whom have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, were part of the Eagles’ 2024-25 roster but are no longer with the program. Their refusal to cooperate, the NCAA said, constitutes a Level I violation, the most serious category for misconduct.

The investigation began after integrity monitoring services flagged suspicious first-half wagering on Eastern Michigan’s Jan. 14 loss at Central Michigan, according to the release. Subsequent review indicated unusual betting activity in two prior games that season, prompting the NCAA to open a collaborative inquiry with the school in late January.

On Jan. 29, the three players’ phones were imaged by an NCAA-approved vendor as part of the probe. Enforcement staff requested interviews in the weeks following, but the players’ legal counsel notified the NCAA in March that they would not participate and instructed that the phone images be destroyed, per the release.

Because of the lack of cooperation, NCAA investigators were unable to determine whether the athletes engaged in any betting violations.

“When individuals choose not to cooperate — particularly when cases involve potential integrity issues — those choices can and will be met with serious consequences including prohibitions on athletically related activities, the loss of eligibility and/or being publicly named in an infractions decision,” the committee said in a release.

Although Billingsley, Nelson and Terry cannot lose eligibility, current athletes could face bans from competition if they refuse to cooperate in similar investigations, the NCAA noted.

Terry and Nelson were the team’s leading scorers last season, averaging 16.6 and 16.1 points per game, respectively. Both transferred to Eastern Michigan from DePaul; Terry spent three seasons with the Blue Demons, while Nelson played two. Billingsley, a transfer from Georgetown, averaged 10.5 points.

Eastern Michigan finished the season 16-16 overall and 9-9 in the MAC.