BLOOMINGTON — A former IU volleyball assistant coach received a two-year show-cause order from the NCAA on Tuesday related to impermissible sports wagering, records show.
According to a case summary posted online Tuesday, former Hoosiers assistant Brett Agne “placed impermissible bets on professional and collegiate games over a five-month period.”
Upon learning of his impermissible activity in 2023, Indiana dismissed Agne from his position.
“Agne did not bet on the Indiana volleyball team but did bet on other teams at Indiana,” the report states. “Agne and the enforcement staff agreed that Agne used online betting platforms to place more than 700 bets totaling $327,000. Of those bets, 27 were on the Indiana football or men’s basketball programs.”
According to his online biography with Indy Ignite, Indianapolis’ professional volleyball club, Agne served on Indiana’s staff from 2021-23, in capacities ranging from assistant coach to director of operations.
Indiana University declined formal comment for this story.
Said Indy Ignite director of communications Cathy Kightlinger: “We are aware of this report and we have no further comment right now.”
Agne also spent three years on staff at Toledo, and he has assisted the U.S. women’s national team twice.
Per the violation summary posted to the NCAA’s website, “Agne stated that he used an unregulated computer program to place bets on games automatically based on an algorithm, and as a result, he was not aware of which games he was betting on — including the Indiana games.”
The NCAA recently lifted its prohibition on legally gambling on professional sports. The association still does not allow wagering on college sports in any form. However, all of Agne’s wagers were prohibited at the time he made them, per the report.
Agne’s show-cause penalty — a common punishment in these cases — would add required layers of oversight to his employment should another NCAA institution wish to hire him during the assigned period.
“Any employing member school must require Agne to complete meaningful sports betting education,” the report states, “and provide sports betting education to his peers.”
Per the NCAA’s summary, Agne would also be required to serve a 10-game suspension (regular-season contests only), during which he could not participate in any coaching activities whatsoever.
The report also includes a public reprimand and censure.
This story was updated with a photo of Agne and Indy Ignite’s comment.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bets totaling $327K land former Indiana volleyball coach significant NCAA penalty. What we know
Reporting by Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
