Former WSU QB John Mateer denies sports gambling allegations

Former Washington State University (WSU) quarterback John Mateer has denied allegations of his involvement in sports gambling in a statement made Tuesday.

A social media post circulated through X Monday night, featuring a screenshot of Mateer’s past Venmo transactions, which alluded to gambling on college sports.

John Mateer denies sports gambling allegations

When Mateer was a freshman at WSU, two payments described as “sports gambling” were made to Richard Roaten on November 20, 2022.

One of the payments included “Sports gambling (UCLA vs USC)” in the transaction details. One day before the alleged payments were made, the No. 10-ranked USC Trojans beat the No. 18-ranked UCLA Bruins 48-45 on November 19, 2022.

Following the sports gambling allegations, Mateer released a statement on social media, claiming the transactions were “inside jokes” between friends.

pic.twitter.com/5PF0iOuAjJ

— John Mateer (@John_Mateer4) August 12, 2025

Mateer signed with the University of Oklahoma in December 2024 as the most sought-after transfer portal quarterback heading into the 2025 NCAA football season.

The University of Oklahoma released a statement on the allegations Tuesday:

“OU Athletics provides ongoing education to its student-athletes, coaches, and staff on matters related to sports gambling. The department utilizes ProhiBet, which is an industry-standard service offering comprehensive monitoring of sports gambling activities. OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern. OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.”

Mateer spent three seasons with the WSU Cougars and became the university’s starting quarterback in 2024 as a redshirt sophomore. In the 2024 season, Mareer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns, while rushing for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns.

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