Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer hasn’t been accused of breaking any NCAA rules involving sports gambling yet, but if he did, the potential punishment could be significant.
Mateer became a trending topic Monday night after screenshots of his old Venmo transactions surfaced online. Some of those payments were labeled “Sports Gambling,” including one referencing the 2022 UCLA vs. USC game. At the time, Mateer was a freshman at Washington State.
The Sooners’ new starter has since made his Venmo account private, and according to SoonerScoop’s George Stoia, he’s already spoken with Oklahoma’s athletic department and compliance staff. Mateer told the school he has never gambled, and there’s been no contact from the NCAA.
Still, ESPN’s Pete Thamel outlined how a case would play out if the NCAA determined a student-athlete wagered on their own sport.
Current NCAA rules state: “If a student-athlete wagers on their own sport at another school, education on sports wagering rules and prevention will be required as a condition of reinstatement, and the loss of 50% of one season of eligibility will be considered.”
"The 50-percent of the season would be considered a starting point, and that number could move up or down depending on mitigating factors. Again, this is all per generic example. Lot to sort through here," Thamel wrote.
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None of that means Mateer is in trouble right now. Venmo users can label transactions however they want, and the wording alone isn’t proof of actual gambling. CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah even joked about it, writing, “Those Venmo receipts definitely aren’t actually him sports gambling… There’s really zero good reason for it. Let us have our bizarre collection of inside joke emojis in peace.”
But with Oklahoma ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP Poll and counting on Mateer — reportedly signed to an NIL deal worth nearly $3 million — to lead its offense in 2025, any eligibility issue would be a crushing blow before the season even kicks off.
UPDATE
In a social media post later on Tuesday, Mateer said that all allegations against him were "false."
— John Mateer (@John_Mateer4) August 12, 2025