Chris CwikContributing writerTue, April 28, 2026 at 5:03 PM UTC·3 min readThe NCAA continues to crack down on potential sports-betting violations. Following another investigation, the NCAA deemed two former Fordham men’s basketball players permanently ineligible for “potential game manipulation for sports betting reasons,” the organization announced Tuesday.
Those players — Elijah Gray and Will Richardson — are no longer with Fordham and are not currently playing NCAA college sports.
The investigation came about after the NCAA interviewed a third party regarding a different sports-betting investigation. That third party indicated that a known bettor was in contact with multiple individuals at Fordham.
While gather evidence, the NCAA found a $10,000 bet from that bettor on a 2024 game involving Fordham. The NCAA then looked into possible connections between that bettor and the players on the Fordham men’s team and found three former players who were connected with the bettor on social media. Gray and Richardson were among those players.
During an interview with NCAA enforcement staff, Richardson said Gray revealed a bettor offered to pay him if Fordham lost that particular game. Richardson claimed he was not on the call with Gray and the bettor.
When interviewed, Gray confirmed he had exchanged messages with the bettor and said that Richardson participated in a call with the bettor and a former NBA player who was involved in the scheme.
Gray claimed that both he and Richardson agreed to lose the contest in exchange for $10,000-$15,000. Gray, however, said he got cold feet and decided to give his normal effort during the contest, which Fordham won. Gray said he cut ties with the bettor at that point and never received money. He claimed, however, that Richardson continued to communicate with the bettor and reached out the Gray after being interviewed by the NCAA, another violation.
Richardson was interviewed a second time by the NCAA, though again denied being involved in the scheme. He also said he did not reach out to Gray following Richardson’s first NCAA interview, though phone records showed the two spoke a day before Gray’s interview. Phone records also showed Richardson reached out to a third Fordham player who had yet to be interviewed by the NCAA.
Gray was cooperative with investigators and agreed that he “violated ethical conduct rules by providing information to a known bettor.” Gray, however, maintained that he did not follow through on the scheme. He expressed remorse for his actions, per the NCAA. Both Gray and Richardson were hit with Level 1 violations for their actions, the most severe category of rule violations at the college level.
Richardson, on the other hand, did not participate in the “processing” of his case. In doing so, he failed to cooperate with the investigation and knowingly provided false information during his interview with enforcement staff. Those violations are also considered Level 1.
Because of that, both players were deemed permanently ineligible. They can “only be reinstated with the assistance of an NCAA school,” per the NCAA’s ruling.
The NCAA also announced Tuesday that former Kennesaw State men’s basketball player Simeon Cottle refused to take part in an NCAA sports-betting investigation. The association noted that his actions would normally result in a violation, but Cottle no longer has NCAA eligibility.