It’s been almost a week since reports surfaced that Oklahoma starting quarterback John Mateer may have been caught gambling via his Venmo account, something he denied earlier this week.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false," Mateer wrote in a statement on X following the revelation. "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.”
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is standing by his quarterback.
“In his mind it was nothing to be seen here… Thankful for the powers that be that got us to a good place quickly,” Venables said via the Oklahoman. He also said he used this as a teaching moment for his team on gambling and their use of social media.
Although Venables thinks that this is over, but is it? There hasn’t been a word from the university about whether they have concluded their investigation, so Mateer may not be in the clear yet.
The Sooners are fortunate that so far, the NCAA hasn’t gotten involved in this case and has been quiet. The timing of the Michigan case was probably a good thing because it may have distracted them from what’s going on in Norman.
It may also help that this incident happened three years ago, and concrete proof may be too hard to find. So, OU may have dodged a bullet, but until they are officially cleared, it might be too early to take a sigh of relief