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NORMAN — John Mateer had entered too-good-to-be-true territory.
In the nine months since the ballyhooed quarterback transferred to OU from Washington State, Mateer has taken on mythological status. A dual-threat, do-it-all dynamic athlete. Texas tough with the looks of a California kid. Already the leader in the locker room. The hype train was chugging.
Then in the afternoon on Monday, Aug. 11, (wait for it …) we learned from his roommate, transfer tight end Carson Kent, that Mateer can grill a mean steak. Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh shared that Mateer sat in on an offensive line meeting — and took notes — because of course he did. Freshman O-lineman Ryan Fodje said Mateer stood in front of the team after a recent walkthrough to share a personal story.
“I’ve never seen a guy like John before,” Fodje said.
Those were all anecdotes from one post-practice interview session! Seriously, this Mateer guy was something else. What couldn’t he do?
We got the answer later that night.
What Mateer couldn’t do, failed to do, was sidestep the land-mine field of sports gambling, which has recently tripped up many an athlete. And many more to come.
Sports gambling, for better or worse, is ubiquitous. Ads for gambling sites are everywhere. Game broadcasts no longer shy away from referencing point spreads. Sometimes they’re smack dab on the score bug.
I routinely cite lines and over/unders in my writing. There are websites and podcasts specifically catered to making consumers smarter gamblers. Depending on what state you live in (sports gambling is still illegal in Oklahoma), one needs only to pull out their phone and log into an app to make a quick bet. Sites likes FanDuel and DraftKings are huge advertising partners…
Source link : https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/college/sooners/2025/08/13/ou-football-john-mateer-sports-gambling-venmo-descriptions-bad-judgment/85632330007/
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Publish date : 2025-08-13 11:30:00
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