Two Tennessee men's swimmers placed more than 50 individual online wagers during a six-day period in January on professional soccer, tennis, hockey and basketball events, in addition to a men's basketball game against Vanderbilt.
The UT athletic department self-reported the violations to the SEC on Feb. 13, according to a rundown of self-reported violations by the university's compliance office over the past six months beginning in January. The violations, eight in total, were acquired through an open records request by the News Sentinel.
Both UT student-athlete's names were redacted in the reports, but the News Sentinel learned they are freshman Mans Hjelm and sophomore Christoffer Wallin. Both are from Sweden.
The NCAA prohibits all forms of gambling among student-athletes. According to the compliance office's violation report, both Hjelm and Wallin were ruled ineligible for the remainder of the year once their gambling was discovered.
Hjelm and Wallin are expected to be eligible in the fall.
According to the report, one swimmer wagered $723.50 and won $967.50 from Jan. 19-24 on 58 different sporting events, while the other bet $411.11 on 51 events and won $421.00.
Both swimmers said they knew sports wagering is a violation of NCAA rules before placing the bets, according to the account of events.
No other UT athletes were involved with the incident, according to the report.
UT reported one secondary violation in football. Five mid-year enrollees and one walk-on were permitted to participate in 23 days of strength and conditioning activities and two spring practices after a 21-day temporary certification period ended.
According to the report filed by associate athletic director Todd Dooley, the violation was "due to an oversight in initial eligibility filings by the student-athletes and a miscommunication between (UT's) chief certifying officers and the football staff."
As a result, the five scholarship players involved will miss six days of summer strength and conditioning work, while the walk-on will miss 26 days of activity in the fall.
Tennessee's other six self-reported violations were primarily oversights with minor penalties:
On Jan. 17, UT self-reported 12 impermissible phone calls by former track
and field assistant coach Mary Jayne Reeves.
On Feb. 13, the compliance office reported assistant volleyball coach Rachel Cooper replied to a recruit's email message prior to a permissible contact period.
Two women's basketball players informed the compliance office that two fans paid for their pizza while they dined at Cafe 4 and left before the players could say they couldn't accept the gift. UT compliance self-reported the violation on April 25, citing that a $15 donation had been made as restitution.
On May 4, UT reported that the softball team inadvertently rescheduled a postponed game against Louisville on a date falling during the university's final exam period. A waiver from the SEC was needed, but never filed.
A Twitter account created by football recruiting office coordinator Kris Ann Hawkins and managed by student workers retweeted a post by Class of 2014 recruit Todd Kelly Jr. of Webb School saying he was attending a UT camp. The incident occurred June 12 and the post was immediately deleted.
On July 5, UT compliance reported a student-athlete had been provided an impermissible typing service that shouldn't have been provided for free by the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center.
Brendan F. Quinn covers Tennessee men's basketball. Follow him at http://twitter.com/BFQuinn
Tennessee football practice at Haslam…
Vols preseason press conference
Tour of the new Brenda Lawson…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 31
Navaloranges writes:
kiffy could beat that in a 5 day period.
Navaloranges writes:
I mean the football violations, of course.
Col26ca writes:
Come on Trolls and Professional Handicapper, this has to be Fulmer's and Dooley's fault. As you say nothing but a bunch of cheating thugs. I say off with all their heads and put the school on the Death Penalty for all sports. And you better watch that Rowing team, something is up with them. Come on Pro & Trolls Let's go. WOW I'm bored on a Saturday Afternoon. GBO VFL
BIVOLAR_BEARE writes:
What a couple of meatballs..
CoverOrange writes:
"Five mid-year enrollees and one walk-on were permitted to participate in 23 days of strength and conditioning activities and two spring practices after a 21-day temporary certification period ended."
Umm, so what was the violation? They were enrolled, right? What certification period? BF Quinn, you need to finish this article.
CoverOrange writes:
Obviously, those swimmers have a back up career path in case the education thing doesn't work out.
Navaloranges writes:
Hans and Frans...
BIVOLAR_BEARE writes:
We're here to: "PUMP YOU UP"!
BIVOLAR_BEARE writes:
Well, they were smart enough to bet against vandy..
mtthw741 writes:
Hey they won money! We should be asking them their opinion on UT football, sounds like they know what they are doing!
thevoice writes:
"As a result, the five scholarship players involved will miss six days of summer strength and conditioning work, while the walk-on will miss 26 days of activity in the fall."
So if Bray were involved in this, he'd only get 10 minutes of bleacher running? Talk about different rules for different athletic stature. Hmm.
Let's just play ball.
BIVOLAR_BEARE writes:
True..I wonder what they majored in?? Probably Nuclear Sciences and were planning to destroy the world, but the NCAA uncovered this gambling ring instead..They were expecting homeland security and US Marshals/Customs agents only to hear they were booted off the swim team..
tovolny writes:
The NCAA rules are harder to understand than it is to obey them. You mean to tell me that if a recruit sends a coach an email, the coach cannot reply. Can he send a reply (ahem...notice) saying:"sorry, I cannot reply at this time?" Were the swimmers to schmuck to have their sisters place the bets. It has gotten to the point that whoever knows how far to go with secondary violations will be on top.
If you're gonna have RULES, they should be RULES. Primary, secondary, minor rules just sounds ridiculous. The NCAA is losing it. They remind me of the old boxing referees, judges, and officials of the USSR.
papavol writes:
Dude.... Who cares?
CrankE writes:
And now it's time for the Jerry Rule. That part of the discussion where we all say, "Hey, at least they're not Jerry Sandusky."
Wonder if this is related to John Trembley at all? No mention of him in the article, yet his dismissal was in the same time frame as the violation being reported. Coincidence?
lofter writes:
These rules are much too complex. I'm not sure what the answer is, but having more regulators and more compliance people is not the answer.
vollaw writes:
I'm sure they were more successful than Professional Handicapper.
10seVol85_Part_Deux writes:
Wait, the NCAA rules college athlete ineligible if they do any gambling at all? Two college swimmers place legal (not by NCAA rules) bets on sports they have no connection with at all, and that's illegal? That's messed up. I mean, if they were betting on UT swimming competitions, that would be different, but even then, they would have to be betting against UT for there to be any conflict of interest.
NCAA: I think you guys need to back off on that.
crimsonviper writes:
So much Vandy disrespect....So little time...Carry on ,soldier.
UkJarhead writes:
Man, how many different sports can ya'll cheat in? How many do you have?
10seVol85_Part_Deux writes:
That could possibly be the stupidest comment you've ever posted, and that's a remarkable accomplishment.
punkin writes:
Lets see, UT had 7 violations and Memphis State had 24 in the same time period. Care to comment on that?
UkJarhead writes:
Just kidding. Those minor violations go on everywhere. I'm just bored waiting on another police report to be filed.
BristolTnVol writes:
No Hall of Fame for these 2
Tennfan4075 writes:
Yes you are boring.
joebob1111 writes:
Local reporters need to find something better to do with their time
Vol_in_GA writes:
Come on football season!
DeltaCharlie3 writes:
Maybe they'll get the Tyler Bray treatment. "no worries, nothing to see here, circle the wagon, sweep it under the rug, cover it up" and have the head coach just call it "silly" behavior.
gogovols2002#222335 writes:
freshman Mans Hjelm and sophomore Christoffer Wallin. Both are from Sweden....Give them a break. english as second language
BodeaneVol writes:
Word is, they were not betting ON the Vols. They said the were betting to WIN money, not lose it.
For their honesty with the NCAA that is why they got such light punishment.
BodeaneVol writes:
What is the first language in Tennessee?
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.