Dayton men's basketball announced Sunday night that it is withholding Iona transfer Adam Njie from competition due to "[eligibility] matters that occurred prior to his enrollment at the university." The school says it was notified of the issue by the NCAA.
Sources tell Sports Illustrated that Njie’s situation is connected to the ongoing investigation of gambling-related activity in college basketball. It is unclear if Njie is under scrutiny from both the NCAA and federal investigators, or just the NCAA.
“In light of these concerns and the ongoing review process, Adam will not be participating in athletic competition at this time,” Dayton’s announcement said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is conducting a sweeping investigation of illegal gambling, game-fixing and performance manipulation in college basketball. That has evolved alongside the probe by the Eastern District of New York that exploded in the headlines last week with the arrests of 34 people, including a ring of gamblers conspiring to make wagers based on inside information. The feds also arrested a trio of current and former NBA players—Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat, former player and coach Damon Jones and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
Some of the gamblers charged in connection to that scandal are suspected of attempting to fix college games as well, sources tell Sports Illustrated. That investigation has ramped up in recent weeks, with indictments expected in the near future.
In September, the NCAA announced that it was investigating gambling-related infractions cases involving 13 players at six different schools. The players were not named, but their former schools were: Eastern Michigan, Temple, Arizona State, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T and Mississippi Valley State.
On Friday, the NCAA announced findings from its first completed case tied to the gambling ring. Three former Eastern Michigan players were assessed Level I violations for refusing to cooperate with investigators. Their eligibility has expired, so they have not been given applicable sanctions. Eastern Michigan was not penalized either.
However, sources tell Sports Illustrated that multiple schools with current players have eligibility concerns tied to the gambling probe. Njie and Dayton are the first ones publicly known.
The number of schools with current or former players known to be under investigation by the feds and/or the NCAA is expected to roughly double in the coming days and weeks. The NCAA is pushing to clarify cases and notify schools of eligibility concerns before the season starts on Nov. 3.
Dayton, a perennial Atlantic-10 Conference contender, opens against Canisius that night. Njie was expected to be a contributor for the Flyers this season.
Njie, who is from The Bronx, averaged 12.2 points and 4.2 assists for the Gaels last year as a freshman. He was named to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference all-rookie team.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dayton Holds Out Transfer in Connection With Widespread Sports Gambling Probe.