The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- December 21, 1998

Grand jury indicts former players in Northwestern gambling case

A federal grand jury has returned indictments against four former Northwestern University football players, alleging that the athletes committed perjury by lying to a grand jury in an earlier investigation of sports gambling at the university.

The individuals who were indicted December 3 were Dennis Lundy, Christopher Gamble, Michael Senters and Gregory Gill.

The indictments state that each of the student-athletes lied during one or more grand jury appearances by denying that they had bet on Northwestern football games.

The indictments allege that the defendants placed bets with Brian Ballarini, a teammate who is cooperating with the investigation while awaiting sentencing for his role in illegal sports betting at Northwestern and the University of Colorado, Boulder. Four other Northwestern student-athletes pleaded guilty in the case and were sentenced last month.

Federal officials praised Northwestern for its role in the investigation.

"I publicly commend the university for choosing not to look the other way," said Herbert L. Collins Jr., special agent-in-charge of the Chicago field division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey said the latest development reinforces the Association's commitment to battle sports wagering.

"For some time, the NCAA has been concerned about the growth of sports wagering among student-athletes," Dempsey said. "Society is more accepting of gambling activities and has become less sensitive to the problems associated with them, including illegal sports wagering.

"We believe it must be understood that sports wagering is not a victimless crime. It puts our athletics programs, our coaches, administrators and our student-athletes at risk and has the potential to undermine the integrity of our games.

"The announcement of (these) indictments is another example of the gambling problems we are seeing among student-athletes. The NCAA will continue to seek the support of its members, law enforcement, the media and other organizations to combat the growth of sports wagering."