TLDR Former Abilene Christian basketball player Airion Simmons received a permanent NCAA ban for conspiring with outside bettors to fix a March 2024 game against Tarleton State Simmons admitted to accepting $3,500 to deliberately underperform, collecting cash from a contact in Dallas The scheme was exposed in 2025 when a former teammate disclosed the plan after transferring to a Division II school Federal prosecutors indicted Simmons and two bettors in January 2026 on charges including bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy Simmons joins a growing list of NCAA athletes permanently banned for betting violations, with Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby currently under investigation
The NCAA has permanently banned former Abilene Christian men’s basketball player Airion Simmons after finding he conspired with outside bettors to manipulate the outcome of a game.
The Division I Committee on Infractions issued the ruling after investigators determined Simmons violated core honesty and sportsmanship rules. He agreed to alter his performance during a March 2024 game against Tarleton State.
Simmons admitted to NCAA enforcement staff that he accepted $3,500 to “play bad” in the contest. He later met a contact in Dallas to collect the cash payment.
How the Game-Fixing Scheme Unfolded
The case came to light when a former teammate disclosed the scheme after transferring to a Division II school in 2025. That disclosure triggered a wider NCAA investigation into the incident.
Investigators found that Simmons and two teammates initially discussed losing the game on purpose while playing video games together. They later joined a FaceTime call with a known bettor who pressured them to throw the Tarleton State game.
Simmons told investigators he was already dealing with a hand injury at the time. He also shared information that another teammate would miss the game entirely.
Despite playing limited minutes, Simmons accepted the