Oklahoma QB John Mateer denies sports betting allegations after Venmo screenshots go viral

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has denied sports betting after screenshots of his Venmo account went viral on Monday night. 

Mateer’s Venmo history was deleted as of Tuesday, but the alleged transactions made their way through social media. They were from Fall 2022 while he was a freshman at Washington State, and there was one that referenced USC and UCLA. 

The words "sports gambling" were used twice in the memo section of the payments. 

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Mateer issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that he didn’t have anything to do with sports betting.   

"The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false," Mateer said on X. "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. 

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"I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have no engaged in any sports gambling."

Oklahoma Athletics also released a statement on the matter, emphasizing "ongoing education to its student-athletes, coaches and staff on matters related to sports gambling."

"The department utilizes ProhiBet, which is an industry-standard service offering comprehensive monitoring of sports gambling activities. OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern.

"OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending."

Per NCAA rules, a player found to have wagered on his or her own sport can lose up to half a season of eligibility. Additionally, a player who wagered on something involving their own team could face a permanent loss of NCAA eligibility. 

It happened in 2023 when former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers lost his eligibility because he placed a bet on a Cyclones game while he was the backup in 2021. 

Mateer transferred to the Sooners’ program following the 2024 season, as he decided to go with ex-Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma. Washington State was one of the best offenses in the country last season, averaging 36.6 points per game.

Mateer tallied 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns for the Cougars, while also leading the team in rushing with 826 yards and 15 scores on the ground. 

That was tied with Miami’s Cam Ward, the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, for the most touchdowns in college football in 2024. 

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