Former ACU men’s basketball forward Airion Simmons was indicted in a federal investigation involving an alleged point-shaving and sports betting scheme Thursday morning in Philadelphia.
According to the indictment, which included 38 other NCAA men’s basketball players, 17 teams, and numerous Chinese Basketball Association games, Simmons was recruited in March 2024 by a group of alleged “fixers” to underperform in certain ACU games in exchange for bribe payments.
Prosecutors allege Simmons agreed to influence game outcomes and also attempted to recruit additional ACU players into the scheme.
The games took place in the 2024 CIT postseason tournament, in which ACU qualified after losing in the Western Athletic Conference tournament to Stephen F. Austin State University, extending their season for two more games. These were Simmons’ last two games as a Wildcat.
The first game tied to the indictment took place on March 19, 2024, when the Wildcats faced Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which was favored by 2 points in the first half and approximately 3.5 points for the entire game.
The fixers placed approximately $82,000 in bets in expectation that ACU would cover the spread. Despite that, ACU won the game 73-63 and was up 36-33 at the half.
Following the game, Simmons told co-defendants that due to his injury in that game, where he had only 3 points in 14 minutes, his replacement played well. In addition, an unnamed teammate, referred to as Player No. 15, did not underperform as he agreed to.
Prosecutors say Simmons then agreed to make up for the losses in ACU’s next game on March 20, 2024, against Tarleton State. Tarleton was favored by 4 points at the half and 5.5 points for the game. The fixers agreed to wager $40,000 on the Texans to cover.
In the game, Tarleton won 86-59 over the Wildcats and was up 37-25 at the half.
Simmons scored zero points while playing 12 minutes in the game, and Player No. 15 also allegedly underperformed as agreed upon.
After the indictment on Thursday, the university released this statement: “Today, we were made aware that a former member of the men’s basketball team, Airion Simmons, was among 20 players indicted in a federal investigation involving sports betting.
“ACU has fully cooperated with federal law enforcement and the NCAA throughout this process.
“Airion was a beloved and respected member of our campus community during his time as a student-athlete. We are praying for him as he navigates this situation. ACU remains committed to accountability, integrity and upholding the values that define our mission.”
The university also issued an email to its athletes Thursday afternoon, encouraging them to refrain from speculation, discussion or conversation on the matter and cautioning Wildcats about NCAA rules on sports betting.
Head Coach Brette Tanner declined to talk on the matter following Thursday’s game.
According to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf, athletes often were targeted at the mid and low major levels and were not making a lot of money from NIL.
“Certain players were targeted because they were somewhat missing out on NIL money,” Metcalf said. “They were being targeted so they could supplement their NIL money.”
The university, in addition to no coaches were included in the indictment.
Simmons is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bribery in sporting contests.
The wire fraud charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while the bribery charge carries a maximum of five years. At this time, Simmons has not yet entered a plea.
