Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer denied betting on sports after photos surfaced on social media.
On Monday night, an X account shared screenshots allegedly from Mateer’s Venmo account that referenced “sports gambling” in two separate payments on Nov. 20, 2022. Mateer responded by posting a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer wrote. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. I have never bet on sports.
“I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.”
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Mateer “consistently denied” any involvement in sports betting to university officials. Oklahoma still plans to investigate the allegations.
“OU officials are looking into the situation after finding out about it late last night and plan to be proactive and exhaust every avenue,” Thamel wrote.
SoonerScoop’s George Stoia III said Mateer “made it clear to the school that he has never gambled.” Oklahoma also released a statement on the matter.
“OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern,” the statement read, per Stoia. “OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.”
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Mateer was a freshman at Washington State when sending those alleged “sports gambling” Venmo transactions to Richard Roaten. He would have violated NCAA rules by betting on any college sports as a student-athlete.
The former three-star recruit seized Washington State’s starting job last season, tallying 3,139 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for the Cougars. He also ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns during an 8-4 regular season.
As one of the premier quarterbacks in the portal, Mateer transferred to Oklahoma this offseason. Barring the investigation’s findings, the 21-year-old is poised to start for a Sooners squad that went 6-7 with 24.0 points per game in Brent Venables’ third season as head coach.
