Two former HBCU basketball players allegedly refused to cooperate in an NCAA gambling investigation. Former North Carolina A&T basketball players Ryan Forrest and Landon Glasper reportedly ignored multiple requests to participate in the investigation, such as sitting for interviews and disclosing financial documents, per a report by David Purdum of ESPN.
The investigation into the suspicious gambling activity began in January 2025. HBCU basketball programs, North Carolina A&T and Mississippi Valley State were involved alongside institutions such as Arizona State, Eastern Michigan, and Temple. The February 2025 Purdum report on ESPN.com stated a gambling ring was placing wagers on three men's college basketball teams; both North Carolina A&T and Mississippi Valley State were included.
The gambling ring was already under federal investigation for suspicious activity gambling on NBA games, which triggered the NCAA investigation. North Carolina A&T and Mississippi Valley State were linked to bets placed in the 2023-2024 season. Both Forrest and Glasper played for the Aggies in 2023-2024.
Over the course of the investigation, investigators for the NCAA looked into possible sports betting violations by a North Carolina A&T assistant coach. Several Aggie basketball players, including Forrest and Glasper, were interviewed by the investigators and their phones were searched. The phone search led to a picture of Forrest holding large amounts of money around the time of the games that were under suspicion, as well as screenshots of bets placed on professional games in the NFL and the NBA.
When investigators looked to obtain additional information from Forrest as well as Glasper, they reportedly were denied. But per a statement obtained by Purdum for his ESPN report, Forrest says that he participated and cooperated with the investigation fully.
“They just know how to feed the world a story to defame a person[‘s] character,” Forrest said.
The report comes as Camian Shell, who currently competes for Delaware State and played for North Carolina A&T for two seasons, was part of a wide-ranging indictment featuring 24 former college players. Court documents allege that Shell and another teammate arranged to deliberately struggle during the opening half of a Feb. 29, 2024 game against the Towson Tigers men's basketball.
Investigators say roughly $457,000 in bets poured in on Towson, many tied specifically to the first-half spread. By the break, Towson had built a sizable 42–21 advantage. Shell is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty.
