Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer is caught in a messy situation that’s got college football fans talking. The 21-year-old transfer from Washington State has been accused of sports gambling after old Venmo transactions labeled “sports gambling” surfaced online.
The allegations, which spread on social media, have created debates about NCAA rules, dumb college kid mistakes, and how quickly a screenshot can start up troubles.
The NCAA Doesn’t Mess Around When it Comes to Gambling
According to Bylaw 10.3, athletes are banned from betting on any NCAA-sanctioned sports, and if caught, the results can be brutal, including permanent bans, losing half a season, or even getting kicked off the team.
After all, the goal is to keep college sports clean, especially now that legal betting is everywhere. So, when those Venmo screenshots popped up, it was bound to raise some eyebrows. The drama began on August 11, 2025, when a user on X named Bryan Aguada decided to play detective and dropped the screenshots online with a bombshell caption.
🚨BREAKING🚨
— Bryan Aguada (@Bryan_Aguada) August 11, 2025
Oklahoma QB John Mateer has allegedly engaged in sports betting, including on NCAA football games such as UCLA vs USC, according to Venmo transactions.
NCAA rules prohibit athletes from wagering on any NCAA-sanctioned events pic.twitter.com/UZTt8g4iDR
That post exploded, with 7.2 million views, setting social media on fire. Some users were shocked, while others rolled their eyes, calling it a dumb thing to dig up from a kid who was barely 18 at the time.
As expected, this caught the attention of big-time sports outlets, and ESPN reported that Oklahoma officials were looking into the situation, though they didn’t seem too panicked yet.
Meanwhile, college football analysts like CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah suggested the whole thing might fizzle out unless strong evidence of actual betting shows up. On the other hand, on August 13, 2025, John took to X to clear his name, tweeting,
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false. My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.”
Via X
He restated, saying,
“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. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.”
Via X
Basically, Mateer’s saying it was all a big misunderstanding and just some dumb humor from his freshman days that got blown out of balance. He’s reportedly been consistent with this story when talking to Oklahoma’s athletic department, too.
The University of Oklahoma didn’t waste time responding, and its athletics department put out a statement,
“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.”
Via CBS Sports
It sounds like they’re covering their bases but not freaking out just yet. ESPN’s Pete Thamel also noted that this could end up being a nothingburger unless someone finds proof, such as sportsbook records or a statement from Roaten, that Mateer was actually betting.
