The NCAA has handed down a permanent ban to former Abilene Christian men’s basketball player Airion Simmons, following an investigation into allegations that he helped rig games for sports bettors. The decision, announced Friday by the NCAA’s Division I Committee on Infractions, marks a stunning fall for a player who spent five seasons with the Wildcats from 2019 to 2024.
According to the NCAA, Simmons colluded with a teammate and agreed with a bettor to intentionally lose a game in March 2024 in exchange for money. During a December 2025 interview, Simmons reportedly told investigators that a second bettor also contacted him about throwing the same game for a payout. The scheme came to light after a teammate who transferred to Abilene Christian in September 2025 reported that Simmons and another player had tried to recruit him into the fix.
The case has far-reaching legal implications. In January, Simmons and two bettors were named in a federal indictment in Pennsylvania, facing charges including bribery, fraud, and conspiracy. Prosecutors allege the point-shaving operation worked like this: gamblers would recruit players with promises of big paydays, then bet against those players’ teams. The fixers would instruct players to underperform, sit out, or keep the ball away from teammates who weren’t in on the scheme—sometimes even when the attempted fix failed and the bettors lost their money.
The whistleblower player described receiving a FaceTime call with Simmons, the other teammate, and a bettor, who all urged him to help throw the game. By the time he entered the contest, he said the outcome was already determined, making his performance irrelevant. Simmons, for his part, told investigators he had claimed a hand injury to bettors and shared that another teammate would be unavailable to play—details that could have influenced betting lines.
This case is a stark reminder of the pressures and temptations facing college athletes in an era of legalized sports betting. For fans and players alike, it underscores the importance of integrity in the game—and the serious consequences when that trust is broken.