College basketball game-fixing
NCAA Declares Four Alabama State Basketball Players Ineligible for Game-Fixing Scheme
The NCAA ruled four former Alabama State men’s basketball players permanently ineligible for accepting money from gamblers to manipulate the outcome of a December 5, 2024 game at Southern Mississippi, which Alabama State lost 81-64 as a six-point underdog. Amarr Knox, Shawn Fulcher, Corey Hines and Tony Madlock were accused of taking a total of $2,000 from two bettors to “throw the game,” with the NCAA reporting the players accepted the offer and were paid. The NCAA said its enforcement investigation was prompted after Hines transferred to Temple and, in July 2025, Temple alerted the NCAA staff that Hines had been contacted by the FBI and shown text messages about a sports integrity issue from his time at Alabama State. The NCAA also reported that Knox admitted to the scheme, while Fulcher and Hines denied it and Madlock declined to be interviewed. The two bettors were indicted in January by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on wire fraud and bribery charges related to sports betting, and the four players are not currently competing in NCAA athletics. The case has renewed broader concern about the risk that legalized sports betting can incentivize deliberate game losses.
Key Points
The NCAA’s negotiated resolution included a specific payment breakdown: Fulcher and Madlock each received $700, while Hines and Knox each received $300.
NCAA findings said Fulcher was the “primary contact” with the bettors and that Madlock told the bettor he would not play because he had an injury.
Investigators said the players connected with the first bettor by FaceTime the morning of the game, and during that call they agreed to throw the game; Madlock told the bettor he was injured and would not play.
Game context from the NCAA narrative: Alabama State led 33-30 at halftime but was outscored 51-31 in the second half by Southern Mississippi as it lost 81-64.
Alabama State said it was “not a party to the case” but that it “fully cooperated with the investigation,” adding: “Alabama State University, its athletics program, and its personnel remain committed to integrity and compliance and will continue to operate with transparency.”
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