Sports
NCAA: Betting abuse of athletes common online
Sports-betting-related abuse remains one of the most common forms of online harassment directed at college athletes, coaches and officials, even as overall online abuse decreased this year, according to a study commissioned by the NCAA.
Betting and match-fixing-related abuse represented 11% of nearly 4,000 messages flagged by the study. That’s approximately twice as much as racial abuse or threats of violence.
Sexual (20%) and sexism (14%) were the most common categories of abuse. The numbers were in the same range as the previous year’s study.
Overall, online abuse directed at athletes, coaches and officials decreased by 22% year-over year, with women’s basketball seeing a significant decrease, and men’s basketball experiencing a dramatic increase.
“The NCAA condemns all forms of online abuse and harassment,” Clint Hangebrauck, NCAA Managing Director of Enterprise Risk Management, said in a statement to ESPN. “The results from this year’s study suggest that the NCAA’s multi-layered strategy of building public awareness, advocacy and forming collaborative relationships with third parties is having a positive impact and has enhanced our ability to combat abuse.”
In March, the NCAA launched a “Don’t Be a Loser” video campaign that ran during the men’s and women’s basketball tournament broadcasts, in addition to lobbying for states to ban prop betting on individual college athletes. The NCAA also partnered with online payment processor Venmo this summer in an effort to combat unwanted interactions on the platform.
This was the second year the NCAA commissioned a study on social media abuse directed at college athletes, coaches and officials. The study, which was conducted by Signify Group, an artificial intelligence firm that tracks and analyzes online abuse, monitored seven championship events, including social media accounts for 5,555 athletes, 625 coaches, 466 teams and 26 official NCAA channels during the 2024-25 academic year.
Signify researchers found 31 individuals were responsible for egregious content that warranted investigation. Eight of the individuals were involved in sports betting, according to the NCAA.
Seven abusive messages met the threshold to be shared with law enforcement, the study found.
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A hawk stolen from SoFi Stadium last month during a game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Indianapolis was returned to its rightful owner, while a second hawk remains missing.
The two birds, named Bubba and Alice, were hired by the stadium to deter other birds from the area during games and events. But on Sept. 28, the birds were stolen by an unknown suspect along with the utility task vehicle (UTV) the birds were being held in.
The two birds, named Bubba and Alice, were hired by the stadium to deter other birds from the area during games and events. (Inglewood Police Department)
According to Inglewood police, at around 2:22 p.m., a male suspect took off with a Kawasaki Mule UTV from the lake area of the NFL stadium’s grounds. In the utility vehicle were two hawks being held in green containers.
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Police said the key to the vehicle was left in the ignition at the time of the theft.
According to NBC Los Angeles, Bubba was located by a homeowner in Hacienda Heights after she called police Sunday to report the bird in her backyard. The hawks’ handler, Charles Cogger, was then contacted by law enforcement.
According to Inglewood police, at around 2:22 p.m., a male suspect took off with a Kawasaki Mule UTV from the lake area of the NFL stadium’s grounds. In the utility vehicle were two hawks being held in green containers. (Inglewood Police Department)
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“I made arrangements, got over there as quick as I could and got Bubba back,” Cogger told the station. “Alice is still out there, but this gives me hope she will show up.”
Bubba was reportedly found about 25 miles from the site of the theft.
A general interior view of SoFi Stadium prior to an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 2, 2025, in Inglewood, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
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It was not immediately clear if an arrest in the case had been made.
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Detroit Lions starting cornerback Terrion Arnold, after a second opinion, found that his shoulder injury isn’t as bad as feared, and he could return as soon as this month, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday that Arnold was “going to be out for a long time,” even raising the possibility of the injury ending the defensive back’s season.
Arnold was carted off the field during the Lions’ victory against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. He also left the Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns with a shoulder injury.
The Lions placed their other starting cornerback, D.J. Reed, on injured reserve last week due to a hamstring injury.
Arnold, 22, is in his second NFL season. The Lions chose him as the 24th pick in the 2024 draft out of Alabama.
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard contributed to this report.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones lamented his obscene gesture toward fans as he watched his team dominate the New York Jets on the road Sunday afternoon.
Jones was seen in a video posted to social media flipping the middle finger to fans below him. The move sparked concerns over whether he could be fined for his action as other current and former owners around the league have been hit in the wallet for similar acts.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 28, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
On Tuesday, Jones appeared in his usual spot on 105.3 The Fan and addressed the incident.
“That was unfortunate,” he said, via The Athletic. “There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out front. It was right after we made our last touchdown. I put up the wrong show of hand. The intention was thumbs up.”
He had plenty to celebrate on Sunday as the team won 37-22.
Dak Prescott had four touchdown passes in the win – two of which went to tight end Jake Ferguson. He also found George Pickens and Javonte Williams one time each.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones observe the playing of the national anthem at training camp opening ceremonies at the River Ridge Fields on July 26, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“I think we’re spoiled,” Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer said of Prescott. “I think he’s one of the best players in the league. He’s certainly one of the best leaders and teammates I’ve ever been around. Guys believe in him and he’s playing with a ton of confidence right now.”
Prescott heard “MVP” chants from fans during the game.
“I saw this coming just on the simple fact this team knows how confident we are, what we’re capable of doing,” he said of the win. “We knew it was important to get the taste of last week out of our mouth and out of our mind.”
Jerry Jones arrives at the premiere of “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, at The Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/A)
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Dallas moved to 2-2-1 with the win.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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