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At least three former Eastern Michigan men’s basketball players refused to cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation into questionable sports betting activities, the governing body of college athletics announced Friday.
Several matches from the 2024-25 season fall within the scope of the investigation.
The NCAA imaged the personal phones of Jalin Billingsley, Da’Sean Nelson and Jalen Terry in January. The investigation stemmed from unusual betting activity surrounding Eastern Michigan’s matchup against Central Michigan on Jan. 14, according to results made available Friday.
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The Eastern Michigan Eagles logo on the floor before a college basketball game against the Detroit Mercy Titans at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on December 18, 2022 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The players opted out of participating in interviews and later informed NCAA officials via legal counsel that they did not intend to cooperate in the investigation. The three former Eagles athletes also requested that the phone photos be deleted, the release said.
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The three individuals’ failure to cooperate is considered an NCAA violation and could trigger the permanent loss of eligibility. However, the players named in the probe have already exhausted their eligibility.
NCAA officials noted that the lack of cooperation stalled the investigation, as enforcement personnel could not determine whether sports gambling violations occurred.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles logo on chairs before a college basketball game against the Detroit Mercy Titans at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on December 18, 2022 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
“When individuals choose not to cooperate – particularly when cases involve potential integrity issues – those choices can and will be met with serious consequences, including banning from athletic-related activities, loss of eligibility and/or being publicly cited in a violation decision,” a statement from the Division I Committee on Infractions stated.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles logo on a pair of shorts during a college basketball game against the Detroit Mercy Titans at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on December 18, 2022 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Pakinomist Digital was unable to reach Terry, Nelson or Billingsley for comment Friday.
Terry’s 16.6 points per game in the 2024-2025 season leads the Eagles in scoring. Nelson, a former DePaul athlete who transferred to Eastern Michigan, averaged 16.1 points per game. competition last season. In July, Nelson agreed to a contract with the Swiss Basketball League’s Fribourg Olympic Basket.
Including the trio of former Eastern Michigan players, 13 athletes across six different schools are under NCAA investigation for alleged sports betting violations.
