After delivering a sweeping indictment that led to the arrest of 26 individuals and busted open a college basketball point-shaving scheme that tainted dozens of games over the past two seasons, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf delivered some perspective.

“There has been a spate of these gambling cases recently,” Metcalf said. “I will say that the evidence in this case shows that the monetization of college athletics, through the liberalization and proliferation of sports betting markets, as well as the normalization of compensation in athletics, furthered the enterprise …

“But it’s complicated, right?” Metcalf continued. “As we allege in the indictment, certain players were targeted because they were somewhat missing out on NIL money and they were being targeted so they could supplement their NIL compensation.

“Whether or not they would have done or not done a particular crime based on whether other athletes were being paid, I don’t know.”

Metcalf and his colleagues out of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, not to mention the FBI, appear to have done stellar work here.

Each defendant is presumed innocent in a court of law, but anyone from the court of public opinion who reads the 70-page indictment would likely concede that evidence of malfeasance is strong.

Too many participants to maintain a conspiracy, too much money wagered on obscure games to remain under the radar and way, way too many incriminating text messages.

Some of the athletes might have had their priorities warped by legalized sports wagering and the fact that college athletes can cash in on big bucks these days through name, image and likeness.

As Metcalf smartly noted, though, it’s complicated.

And not an excuse.

If what the indictment alleges is true, then every athlete involved deliberately violated well-known laws, instinctual competitive concepts and the core bonds of team play that are present from D-I basketball down to a random 2-on-2 game at the park.

You don’t need to receive the extensive education that the NCAA provides, lectures from coaches or posters in the locker room to know what’s right and what’s wrong here.

No one should try to cry that they are a victim of a changing society. The proliferation of gambling apps or the fact that some kid at Duke or Kentucky is making millions doesn’t justify bricking a bunch of shots in the first half for a kickback.

NIL gets blamed for nearly everything in college sports these days. Can we spare it from this at least?

This is about personal accountability. This is about consciously choosing alleged criminal behavior.

That’s it.

While it is likely easier to rope in a player who doesn’t have a lucrative NIL deal, recent gambling scandals have caught up NBA and MLB players making millions as well.

That’s just society — there are more than a few doctors and lawyers and Wall Street types shuffling around the prison yard.

And yes, legalized sports wagering is prevalent these days, in your face everywhere you turn, including on ESPN.

So what?

Whether legalized betting is helping or hurting here is, in Metcalf’s terms, complicated.

The increased outlets for placing bets certainly help central figures such as Shane Hennen or Marves Fairley to allegedly wager major sums on minor games — such as $458,000 across multiple sportsbooks on a 2024 Towson-North Carolina A&T contest.

In the old days, you had to walk into a Las Vegas sportsbook to make that bet. It would have been immediately rejected. Whatever amount would have been allowed, probably wouldn’t have been worth rigging the outcome.

That said, the ever-increasing integrity efforts of sportsbooks, not to mention sophisticated state and federal regulators, no doubt played a role in flagging these schemes and then leading authorities to the charges.

Point shaving isn’t new. It was just traditionally done by organized crime to impact illegal, underground betting. That operated largely in the dark, with no protections and few prosecutions.

Legalized betting may have made these schemes easier to pull off, but also easier to bust. It, in turn, should serve as a cautionary tale.

This case isn’t about legalized sports wagering or NIL deals.

It’s about, per the feds’ narrative, a clumsy group of game-fixers convincing individual players to selfishly betray their common sense, their education on existing laws, their teammates, coaches and parents and a dream opportunity to play scholarship basketball in an effort to make a quick extra buck.

They screwed up a great deal to chase a bad one.

That part isn’t complicated.

LIVERPOOL, England — Arne Slot said he “completely understands” the frustration of the Liverpool fans who booed the team following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Burnley in the Premier League.

Florian Wirtz gave the hosts the lead at Anfield before Marcus Edwards levelled the scoring in the second half.

The result means Liverpool have now failed to beat any of the league’s three newly promoted sides at Anfield this term, with just one win in their last four league games. While they remain fourth in the table, they are now just one point above fifth-placed Manchester United.

“Yeah, in my head it wasn’t booing but in my head it was frustration as well,” Slot said when asked about the reaction of the Anfield crowd.

“So if we are Liverpool and we play against Burnley, who we have to give credit to for defending, clearing balls off the line, all the things you want to see if you are the Burnley manager, trying everything to prevent us scoring.

“But if you, as Liverpool, are not disappointed by having a draw at home to Burnley, then something is completely wrong. I completely understand the frustration. I have the same frustrations, and the players definitely have the same frustrations, as the fans.”

Saturday’s result was the third time Liverpool have dropped points from winning positions in the Premier League this season. It came despite Slot’s side registering 32 shots at goal, including 11 on target, and an expected goals (xG) total of 2.95 — their highest in the league this season.

Liverpool also had 73% of possession against a Burnley side languishing in 19th position with just 14 points from 22 games.

Slot added: “It’s not for the first time, it is usually frustrating. They come in different fashions. Sometimes it is that we are scoring a goal in stoppage time and you expect to win the game and then you concede another goal in stoppage time.

“I think these games we have played quite a lot [nine in 19 from September to November] — where we are the team creating more than the team we face — but then we were losing those games.

“Then we have started to become a team that was a bit more careful in conceding chances, and that led to the fact that it made it also more difficult to create a lot.

“As a result of that, we have been in a lot of games where we haven’t lost, and I think today was a game where I liked seeing us have even more possession than we would usually have, generating a lot of chances, and usually that comes with, if you take more risk, it comes with the other team counterattacking you, but we controlled that really well.”

Information from ESPN Research was used in this report.

Nine NFL teams entered the offseason looking to fill their head coaching vacancies, and while some believe Indiana coach Curt Cignetti would be a strong fit for several of those openings, he sees it differently. 

Speaking to the media on Saturday ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami, Cignetti shut down speculation of having any interest in making a leap to the NFL. 

“I made that decision a long time ago now,” Cignetti said, via CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. “Chuck Amato, NC State, in 2000. I had a chance to go with the [Green Bay] Packers. Tommy Rossley, Mike Sherman, [Brett] Favre was in his heyday. I declined the opportunity. I almost took it. That’s when I made the final decision.”

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“I’ve always been more of a college football guy.”

Cignetti has had several coaching stints in college football but has never crossed into the NFL. His most notable – prior to his success at Indiana – was during his five seasons at James Madison, where he led the Dukes to three conference titles and an FCS national championship appearance. He left for Indiana with a 52-9 record. 

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti walks on the field before the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against Oregon in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Cignetti’s remarks come amid speculation that Las Vegas could be a potential fit, as Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza will likely be taken by the Raiders with the first overall pick in April’s draft. 

GOVERNORS BRAUN, DESANTIS PLACE ‘FRIENDLY WAGER’ FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BETWEEN MIAMI AND INDIANA

With those rumors settled, Cignetti’s and Mendoza’s focus can return to Monday’s title game against Miami. 

The Hoosiers have gone 26-2 over the last two seasons under Cignetti and only Miami stands between them and the program’s first national championship.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws a pass as the Oregon Ducks face the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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The CFP national championship game will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

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