Former University of New Orleans men’s basketball player Dae Dae Hunter acknowledged his role in a point-shaving scheme last season, telling ABC's Good Morning America on Monday that he agreed to the plot in an effort to earn money to support his newborn child.
Hunter, along with teammates Dyquavian Short and Jamond Vincent, was accused by the NCAA of intentionally losing, or attempting to lose, by more than the point spread in at least seven games for the Privateers. All three players were ruled permanently ineligible.
In his first public comments, Hunter said he and his teammates were approached by an unidentified bettor based in Las Vegas who persuaded them to manipulate their performances.
The former guard admitted that during games he would intentionally miss shots, saying, “make a couple and miss a couple.” He added, “I just had a child. The school wasn’t paying me money, so I was trying to get money to take care of my child.”
Hunter also acknowledged lying to NCAA investigators during the early stages of the probe. “I told them I wasn’t doing it. I told them I didn’t know anything, but basically the whole time, I knew everything,” he said.
According to investigators, players from New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State and Arizona State were involved in separate point-shaving schemes. The NCAA said no schools or staff members were implicated. In Hunter’s case, text messages recovered from Short’s phone showed the players discussing a $5,000 payment and plans to go shopping the next day, while phone logs identified FaceTime calls with a known bettor flagged by sportsbook operators.
Hunter said the players felt confident the scheme would work, admitting, “Ninety-five percent, we were gonna get the job done.”
The NCAA ruling came two months after the association began investigating gambling activity involving 13 players from six schools. Officials have not linked the probe to recent federal indictments involving illegal betting by former and current NBA players.
Hunter expressed remorse, saying he plans to one day tell his child, “Don’t do what Daddy did."
The University of New Orleans has since taken steps to rebuild its program’s image, naming former NBA player Percy Miller as president of basketball operations and continuing facility renovations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina 20 years later.