Dae Dae Hunter was doing well. He appeared in 21 games, started 16 of them, and logged 22.4 minutes per outing. He averaged 8.2 points and 2.3 rebounds during the 2024–25 season. But all of that became history this month.  Hunter is now the example athletes point to when they say: don’t follow the same path. But why would Hunter risk everything when his basketball career was trending upward?

Speaking with Good Morning America, Hunter finally revealed why. “I just had a child… The school wasn’t paying me money. So, like, I was trying to get money to actually take care of my child,” the emotional guard told ABC’s Will Reeve. His confession came after NCAA investigators discovered that Hunter was one of three players from New Orleans, Arizona State, and Mississippi Valley State involved in separate point-shaving schemes.

Investigators recovered text messages between him and his teammate Dyquavian Short. The two were discussing a $5,000 payment and plans to go shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue the next day. Notably, those $5000 came from match fixing.

 According to the NCAA, Hunter, Short, and Jamond Vincent were each offered $5,000 for their participation in manipulating games. For at least seven games during the 2024–25 season, they helped a Las Vegas bettor profit from altered outcomes.

Well, this scandal came to light after a student-athlete overheard them. The three back then were discussing a plan to stop scoring late in the December 28, 2024, game against McNeese State. And they did. The spread for the game was 23.5 points. New Orleans lost by 25, and the focal point remained Hunter, who shot 1-for-4 in just 14 minutes.

“I did go out there and not do my best – basically shooting the ball and not actually trying to make it,” he admitted. Still, he initially lied, denying every allegation during the investigation. “I told them I wasn’t doing it. I told them I didn’t know anything, but the whole time, I knew. I knew everything… I was trying to lie because I thought I was going to get my way out of it.” he confessed. 

Later, he explained that he, Short, and Vincent used a specific phrase – “it’s time” Whenever they were to alter the play, they used this term as a signal. “I’d go out there and I’d do my best shooting the ball, but not actually trying to make it… Like, make a couple and miss a couple,” he said. According to him, the three were “95 percent… gonna get the job done.”

Of course, his actions had a price to pay. Following the investigation, the NCAA banned Hunter and five others who were implicated as part of a broader review into 13 players across six schools. And now, Hunter stands as an example. Today, he says the only message he can leave for his child is: “Don’t do what daddy did.” But with Hunter and his teammates now exposed, the NCAA finds itself at the center of heated debate.

Sports, gambling, and college athletes.

For years, NCAA athletes, coaches, and staff were prohibited from betting on any NCAA-sponsored sport. But now, the NCAA has proposed a major rule change. Under it, college athletes and staff would be allowed to bet on professional sports-though betting on college sports would remain banned.

But this can be stopped. To block this rule from taking effect, two-thirds of Division I schools (241 out of 361) must file objections by November 21. But as per CNN source, “As of right now, we are not meeting that threshold.” This means the rule is expected to go into effect on November 22.

According to NCAA, this change reflects modern reality. Legal sports betting is everywhere-especially on college campuses. As NCAA official Roberta Page explained, “This change recognizes the realities of today’s sports environment without compromising our commitment to protecting the integrity of college competition or the well-being of student-athletes.”

But, is it the right time for the change? In the three weeks since the NCAA opened its rescission period, two MLB pitchers have been indicted for rigging games. Six college athletes from three schools have been permanently banned for game-fixing. 

And even the NBA has been hit by scandal-a mafia-run illegal poker ring involving Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, former assistant Damon Jones, and Heat guard Terry Rozier, all arrested in an FBI investigation. With scandals piling up across every major league, the question now is: Will the NCAA rethink its rules-or move forward as planned?