Why Kansas State AD Gene Taylor thinks college athletes *shouldn't* be allowed to bet on pro sports

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Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor isn’t an anti-gambling crusader. In fact, he told me that in college, he even worked as a blackjack dealer.

But earlier this month, when the NCAA announced it was considering legislation to permit college athletes and staffers to bet on professional sports, Taylor felt he had to do something he doesn’t do very often.

He got on Twitter and spoke his mind.

Taylor’s view didn’t initially carry the day. Other administrators, from the Power 4 to low majors, supported the proposal, which passed on Oct. 8. The conventional wisdom was that sports gambling had become so widespread and ubiquitous across college campuses that enforcement of an outright prohibition would be impossible.

But less than 24 hours after the press releases were sent, a gambling scandal rocked the NBA. And now more college sports voices are coming around to Taylor’s way of thinking.

Earlier this week, Yahoo reported that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey had sent a letter to NCAA HQ, asking for the gambling policy to be changed.

“I don’t think my tweet was what motivated Greg to speak out, although I’m grateful that he did, because he has such a loud megaphone.” Taylor told me. The NCAA then released a statement, saying the Division I board had voted to delay the policy’s implantation until Nov. 22, giving schools enough time to potentially vote to rescind the proposal.

So why did Taylor feel so strongly that a liberalization of gambling policies was a bad idea? What do other industry professionals think, and where does the NCAA go from here?

I called around to find out.

If many other ADs and university leaders were comfortable with the proposed change, why was Taylor so concerned?

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