Former Eastern Michigan player refuses to participate in gambling investigation
Three former Eastern Michigan men’s basketball student-athletes failed to cooperate with an investigation into potential sports betting violations, according to a decision issued by the Division I Violations Committee.
Former Eastern Michigan athlete ineligible for college
Although student-athletes’ refusal to cooperate with an investigation violates NCAA rules and could result in permanent ineligibility, these former basketball players have no remaining college eligibility.
Jalin Billingsley, Da’Sean Nelson and Jalen Terry, who are no longer involved with the program, were captured on cell phone images by a law enforcement vendor on Jan. 29 as part of an NCAA investigation stemming from questionable bets placed on Eastern Michigan’s Jan. 14 game against Central Michigan.
Three former Eastern Michigan men’s basketball student-athletes have not cooperated with an investigation into potential sports betting.
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) October 24, 2025
Law enforcement officials repeatedly requested interviews with the student-athletes through legal counsel after their cellphones were photographed, according to findings released Friday.
In January 2025, NCAA enforcement officials were notified by multiple integrity monitoring services of suspicious first-half betting activity during the January 14 game between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan.
The Level 1 Infractions Committee noted that the Integrity Services subsequently determined that “unusual betting activity also occurred at two previous games of the season.”
Former student-athlete guilty of Level 1 violation
According to ESPN’s David Purdum, sportsbooks discovered questionable bets during the first half of two other Eastern Michigan games last season: against Wright State (Dec. 21) and Toledo (Jan. 7).
Law enforcement officials subsequently contacted the school and launched a collaborative investigation.
On March 17, attorneys for the student-athletes notified NCAA enforcement staff that the student-athletes would not participate in the process and directed the vendor to destroy the images.
Due to the actions of the student-athletes, law enforcement officials were unable to determine whether a sports betting violation occurred. According to the committee, the student-athlete’s failure to cooperate was a Level 1 violation.
A Division I violation is the most serious violation in the NCAA.
“When individuals choose not to cooperate – particularly when cases involve potential integrity issues – those choices can and will face serious consequences, including being banned from sports-related activities, losing eligibility and/or being publicly named in a violation decision,” the committee said in its decision.
While the Division I Infractions Committee does not currently assess penalties for student-athletes who violate NCAA rules, student-athletes found to have violated NCAA rules are ineligible and can only be reinstated with the assistance of the NCAA school.
The NCAA is investigating 13 athletes at six schools for alleged gambling violations, including three former Michigan players.
