MADISON – Elijah Gray was dismissed from the Wisconsin men’s basketball team in October due to “events preceding his enrollment at UW-Madison.”
Now, some of Gray’s activity before enrolling at Wisconsin has surfaced in a federal indictment as part of a federal investigation into point-shaving.
The indictment – filed Jan. 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and obtained by the Journal Sentinel – alleges that Gray accepted a bribe of “approximately $10,000 or $15,000 to underperform in and influence an upcoming Fordham basketball game.”
Gray, while mentioned several times in the court document, was not one of the 20 defendants indicted. The indictment listed charges of bribery in sports contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aiding and abetting. The document did say that Gray was “charged elsewhere.”
Jalen Smith – the defendant who allegedly made contact with Gray – reached out to him via social media. They already knew each other “because of their mutual connections in the basketball community in North Carolina,” according to the indictment.
Gray allegedly received instructions from three of the defendants in the case to help make sure that Fordham did not cover the spread in a game against Duquesne along with recruiting an unnamed teammate to also participate.
Gray and the unnamed teammate were reminded that they would receive the bribe payments if it was successful, according to the indictment. The defendants allegedly placed about $195,000 of wagers on the game.
Fordham, a 3.5-point underdog, won despite the alleged point-shaving by eight points. Gray scored only three points on 1-of-4 shooting, though. (He averaged 8.4 points per game in the 2023-24 season.)
Gray allegedly said to the defendant via a text message that “I tried,” and the defendant told Gray that “you did your job for sure.”
Gray left Fordham after that season, transferring to Temple for the 2024-25 season and Wisconsin for the 2025-26 season. He had not yet played in a game for the Badgers before his dismissal.
He missed the Oct. 19 intra-team scrimmage due to what a team spokesman said was an illness, and he missed the Oct. 24 exhibition against Oklahoma “due to personal reasons.” UW announced his dismissal on Oct. 28.
Gray did not respond to a text message from the Journal Sentinel on Jan. 15 seeking comment on the allegations.
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard, speaking to reporters Jan. 15 during an already scheduled media availability, said it was a “quick and decisive decision on my part” to dismiss Gray as he wanted to “continue to protect the integrity of the program.”
“Back in the fall, when we were made aware by the NCAA, we took immediate action,” Gard said.
Gray was one of five transfer additions for the Badgers ahead of the 2025-26 season. The other four have played significant roles on this year’s team, which is 12-5 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play.
“I don’t know if you would have gotten answers to those questions,” Gard said when asked about the transfer portal vetting process. “I think confidentiality of what was going on or what is going on with the investigation – I don’t think we’d be privy to know any of that regardless.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dismissed Wisconsin player allegedly involved in point-shaving at previous school
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
