Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer found himself trending earlier this week — all because of his Venmo transactions.
Screenshots surfaced on social media showing Mateer’s public transaction history from 2022, his freshman season at Washington State. Two transactions in particular caught attention for being labeled “Sports Gambling,” including one specifically marked for “UCLA vs. USC.”
On Tuesday evening, Mateer addressed the allegations, calling them false and insisting they were simply jokes between friends.
“My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question,” Mateer wrote on X. “But were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.”
“I have never bet on sports,” he continued. “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.”
While the controversy may have cooled for now, ESPN’s Pete Thamel has noted that if Mateer were ever proven to have wagered on NCAA-sanctioned events, the penalty could be severe — potentially costing him 50% of the season or more.
USA Today’s Matt Hayes, however, sees the matter as part of an old college football tradition: rivalry games fueling off-field drama.
“The Iron Bowl. The Egg Bowl. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Welcome aboard, Red River Rivalry. You’ve finally earned your SEC stripes,” Hayes wrote.
He pointed out that previous instances involving rival schools like Tennessee and Florida and Alabama and Auburn that have tried to undermine each other for decades, and that Mateer’s Venmo saga — widely believed to have been sparked by a Texas Longhorns fan — now joins the lore.
"All of those wild and true stories originated and were exposed, in one form or another, from the rival school," Hayes added.
This year’s Red River Rivalry will mark just the second time the storied matchup is played as an SEC game at its traditional Cotton Bowl home. Last season, Texas routed Oklahoma 34-3, but this year’s meeting could be a classic with Arch Manning leading the Longhorns against Mateer and the Sooners.