College basketball player cleared

11/18/2008

The storm in a teacup created when the Florida and national US media discovered that University of Florida college basketball player Nick Calathes owed $600 to an online poker website has apparently passed, with officials confirming that the young sophomore point guard for the Gators did not break any National Collegiate Athletic Association rules.

UF athletic director Jeremy Foley released a statement this week saying the university was confident that Calathes didn’t break NCAA rules by playing poker online.

“We became aware of certain allegations over the weekend and immediately looked into it,” Foley said. “We reviewed everything very thoroughly and are satisfied with our results. We have no eligibility issues and are very comfortable that this issue is resolved based on our review.”

Foley explained that NCAA rules prohibit athletes from providing information for gambling purposes or betting on any sports. If an athlete is found to have violated the organisation’s rules on gambling, he or she will be barred from the NCAA.