Iowa announces NCAA denies Noah Shannon's appeal of year-long suspension for gambling

The NCAA has upheld Iowa defensive tackle Noah Shannon’s suspension, the Hawkeyes announced Tuesday. Kirk Ferentz previously announced Shannon is serving a one-year suspension as a result of a gambling investigation into the program.

Shannon, a sixth-year senior, was a starter for Iowa the last two seasons. Last year, he had 44 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks as he cemented himself as a key part of the defense. However, he found himself in the middle of a gambling investigation into the program, which resulted in the suspension.

Shannon also pulled himself out of Big Ten Media Days in July as the investigation unfolded.

“I am incredibly disappointed by the NCAA’s decision this weekend,” Ferentz said in a statement. “Noah is an exceptional person who has been a great leader on and off the field for our program over the last five years. While we will certainly miss him on the field, I am grateful that Noah has chosen to remain a part of our program as he prepares for the next step of his journey.”

Shannon also released a statement about the decision, issuing an apology to fans and his teammates.

“I want to apologize to the fans and everyone who supports Iowa Football,” Shannon said. “I made a mistake and I have taken responsibility for it. I am heartbroken that I will not be able to play alongside my brothers again, but I plan to stick with the team and support them any way that I can going forward.

“I want to say thank you to my family, Coach Ferentz, the coaching staff, and all of my teammates and friends for their unwavering support. I am going to make sure that this mistake does not define me or my career going forward.”

In May, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission launched an investigation into Iowa Athletics that alleged 26 athletes across multiple teams — football, men’s basketball, baseball, men’s track and field, and wrestling — violated NCAA rules. A full-time Iowa athletics employee was also implicated. The investigation does not include current or former coaches. Noah Shannon was the first Iowa player named in the investigation.

Ferentz previously confirmed the suspension was for the full year and the athletics department wouuld appeal. Iowa was awaiting a decision, and that came down Tuesday.

The Hawkeyes are coming off a victory over Iowa State in the CyHawk game last week to improve to 2-0 on the season. They will welcome Western Michigan to Iowa City this week.