TOLEDO, Ohio – A University of Toledo (UT) running back was suspended from the school’s football team after being charged with conspiring to bribe to affect the outcome of a sporting event.
Harvey “Scooter” McDougle, 22, faces the charges filed by the U.S. District Court in Detroit after a federal criminal complaint implicated him along with several teammates of taking bribes from a Michigan man identified only as “Gary.” The bribes were made allegedly in return for influencing the outcome of games in bets made with illegal sports bookmakers. One unidentified player is accused of being offered $10,000 to sit out a football game.
An affidavit written by FBI agent Brian Max reports McDougle admitted to taking “cash, a car, a phone, and other things of value” in return for inside information. In the affidavit, McDougle denies ever letting the bribes influence his play on the field.
Nearly 60 years ago, UT’s basketball program was indicated in a gambling scandal that never came to fruition due to the allegedly involved mobster’s death from a heart attack.
For more information on the perils of collegiate athletics and gambling, see this CS news item from earlier this month provided via the FBI Web site.
