Oklahoma QB John Mateer denies gambling, says Venmo transaction titles were 'inside jokes'

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Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer says he has never gambled, and the school says there is no NCAA investigation after a recent report showed Mateer twice paid someone on Venmo in 2022 for “sports gambling.”

“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer said in a statement Tuesday on social media. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.”

Mateer, who was at Washington State during the time in question, said he can understand why the Venmo descriptions could lead one to believe otherwise, so he decided to set the record straight.

“I have never bet on sports,” he said. “I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.”

In a statement, Oklahoma said it uses ProhiBet for comprehensive monitoring of sports gambling activities.

“OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern,” the statement said. “OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.”

Mateer followed former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma this past offseason. Mateer passed for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions and ran for 826 yards and 15 scores last season.

Mateer was one of three players who accompanied Oklahoma coach Brent Venables at SEC Media Days in July. Venables and Oklahoma's players have raved consistently about Mateer's leadership. He's considered one of the nation's top transfers and a key reason the Sooners open the season ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25.

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