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Thursday, December 19, 2024

An athletic department investigation into alleged student-athlete gambling revealed that UF guard Nick Calathes reportedly ran up a $600 online poker debt.

The NCAA does not prohibit athletes from playing online poker, and Calathes has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

"We became aware of certain allegations over the weekend and immediately looked into it," UF Athletics Director Jeremy Foley said in a statement Friday. "We reviewed everything very thoroughly and are satisfied with our results. We have no eligibility issues and are very comfortable that this issue is resolved based on our review."

UF coach Billy Donovan said he is comfortable with how the situation was resolved.

"We heard the rumors, and we reacted to the rumors, responded to them, talked to Nick, talked to the team … handled the whole situation," he said. "To me, it's not even a story. There's no story. Nobody did anything wrong."

Betting on sports is an NCAA violation that results in a one-year suspension from play.

Calathes did not bet on sports and is not under any further investigation.

"I talked to coach Donovan, I talked to the school, and nothing happened," said Calathes, who did admit that he plays online poker. "I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't do anything illegal."

Former UF guard Teddy Dupay was kicked off the team in September 2001 following a six-month gambling investigation by law enforcement. Dupay admitted he violated NCAA rules by betting on sporting events.

Calathes scored 13 points in UF's win against Bradley on Sunday.

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