Booster's Illegal Betting Earned Him a Million Dollars on UM Hurricane Loss

Go Gators! Down with the Hurricanes!

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June 17, 2013

"Miami booster makes gambling allegations in SI story"

Convicted felon and former University of Miami booster Nevin Shapiro claims he made more than $1 million when N.C. State upset Miami 19-16 in 2007, he recently told Sports Illustrated in a series of wide-ranging interviews from prison.

Shapiro, who was interviewed by SI at the Federal Correctional Institution in Oakdale, La., before being moved to a facility in Butner, was convicted in a $930 million Ponzi scheme, and is at the heart of Miami’s troubles with the NCAA. Shapiro claims to have paid players and provided other improper benefits to primarily the football program for nearly a decade.

The SI story included claims by Shapiro that he placed a bet days before N.C. State upset the Hurricanes in November 2007 based on inside information that then Miami quarterback Kyle Wright was injured and would not play.

In the SI story, Shapiro admits to winning at least 23 bets, most in the six-figure range, on Miami football games between 2005 and ’09. Shapiro said he sometimes bet against the Hurricanes, based on the information provided by either the players or assistant coaches.

Shapiro said he bet against Miami in a 2006 game at Duke because some players told him that they had quit on then-coach Larry Coker.

Miami was favored by 17.5 points at Duke on Oct. 21, 2006 and Shapiro bet against the Hurricanes, and won, when they didn’t cover the betting spread in a 20-15 win, according to the SI story. (The Canes beat Duke 52-7 the previous season).

Coker was fired after the ’06 season but Shapiro claims he continued to bet against the Canes and coach Randy Shannon because of injury information from two assistant coaches.

Shapiro provided SI with bank records to verify the gambling information. The NCAA has publicly dismissed Shapiro’s gambling charges, which were not included in the NCAA’s investigation of the program and Shapiro’s other transgressions.

Miami met the NCAA last week and completed its hearing with the Committee on Infractions. The next step is to receive a punishment from the NCAA. The school has already self-imposed a two-year bowl ban and will have to wait another eight to 12 weeks for the NCAA’s initial ruling, which they can appeal.