Kirk Ferentz addresses where gambling investigation stands, says Noah Shannon has one-year suspension

Iowa defensive lineman Noah Shannon is suspended for the 2023 season as a result of a gambling investigation, coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed Wednesday. Shannon was set to enter his fifth season of college football and expected to be a starter for the team.

Ferentz addressed the situation, saying the team plans to appeal the suspension to the NCAA.

“Right now, he does have a year suspension,” the coach said. “We definitely are going to appeal that. The department will appeal that and we’re confident the department will do a great job of just reapproaching this with the NCAA.”

Ferentz went on to call for the NCAA to adjust its policy on sports betting, which is legal in 37 states including Iowa. The coach asserted that Shannon did not commit a crime and that the yearlong suspension is taking things too far.

“We live in a completely different world than we did two years ago or three years ago and, in Noah’s case, he has not committed a crime,” he said. “I’m hopeful that they’ll reconsider his case. I would assume at some point they’re gonna reshape what they announced back in April or May in terms of the policy moving forward. Similar to the drug testing policy, it’s radically different than it was two years ago and our culture’s radically different as a country. So I’m hopeful they’ll catch up maybe a little bit in their thinking as it pertains to Noah.”

Shannon appeared in all 13 games for the Hawkeyes in 2022 to finish the year with 44 tackles (eight for loss) and two sacks on his way to an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. He is one of 11 athletes from the University of Iowa and five football players currently facing punishment as a result of the gambling investigation.

Ferentz went on to add that some players on Iowa’s roster find themselves in a worse position than Shannon. NCAA punishments for improper sports wagering among athletes include a lifetime loss of eligibility.

 “We’ve had a handful of guys involved and really there’s kind of three different levels,” Ferentz said. “You’ve got a couple guys that are looking at serious consequences potentially. You’ve got a couple guys that are looking at suspensions and then another guy who’s in an appeal state. I can’t really comment because the other players haven’t given me permission, but know this has been a topic of conversation.

“…I still find it interesting that there’s two schools affected in the whole country on this topic. I can’t imagine these are the only two universities that have students gambling.”

Iowa said Tuesday in a statement it plans to stand behind all 11 athletes through the appeal process for their various suspensions.