Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has denied he ever wagered on sports after screenshots surfaced showing two Venmo payments from November 2022 that were accompanied by the memo "sports gambling," including one that referenced the USC–UCLA football game. The transactions were posted online late Monday, prompting widespread speculation about possible violations of NCAA betting rules. In a statement issued Tuesday, the 20-year-old said the screenshots had been "taken out of context," calling the payment descriptions "inside jokes between me and my friends." “I have never bet on sports,” Mateer added, stressing that he understands the seriousness of gambling allegations for college athletes. Oklahoma Athletics said it was aware of the posts and "takes any allegations of gambling seriously," noting that the department relies on the ProhiBet monitoring service and currently has no indication of an NCAA investigation. ESPN reported the school intends to review the matter internally. Under NCAA rules, student-athletes found to have gambled on their sport face suspensions of up to half a season, and betting on their own team can result in permanent loss of eligibility.