Duke’s Isaiah Evans Calls Out Harassment from Bettors After Win

UPDATE: Duke University’s Isaiah Evans reveals alarming harassment from sports bettors immediately following the Blue Devils’ latest victory. After advancing to the ACC Tournament championship, a text message wishing harm on Evans highlighted the unsettling pressures college athletes face from betting enthusiasts.

The incident unfolded just hours after Duke triumphed over Clemson, with Evans scoring only six points and missing all seven 3-point attempts. Earlier in the tournament, he had impressed fans with a career-high 32 points against Florida State. Evans disclosed, “I just got a text right now. Some dude told me: ‘I hope you blow your knee out.’”

In March 2024, North Carolina launched legal online sports betting, and in just two years, bettors have wagered over $13 billion through several operators, with many targeting player performance through proposition (prop) bets. Evans stated, “Prop bets just aren’t healthy for the sport, especially with the threats that a lot of our players get. It’s definitely getting out of hand.”

This growing issue has drawn attention from NCAA President Charlie Baker, who is urging states to ban prop bets on college games amid rising threats to student-athletes. States like Ohio and Louisiana have already implemented bans, while ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips expressed serious concerns over the impact of these bets on young athletes, stating they are “dangerous” and should be “eliminated.”

Evans is not alone in facing backlash from bettors. Former North Carolina player Armando Bacot reported receiving hundreds of angry messages about his performance shortly after betting was legalized. Similarly, Duke senior Maliq Brown noted that he frequently encounters comments about betting while walking through arenas: “You see it on social media, walking to the stands or in the arenas when it’s different fan bases. You can hear stuff.”

The NCAA has faced scrutiny in recent years as professional leagues like the NBA and MLB have suspended players for allegedly manipulating their performance to profit from prop bets. Phillips highlighted the enormous pressure these bets place on young athletes, stating, “We should have zero tolerance for that.”

Despite the increasing concerns, prop bets remain a popular offering among sportsbooks, with bettors often wagering on how many points or rebounds players will achieve. Joe Maloney, president of the Sports Betting Alliance, noted, “Props have become popular because we are fans of players. It reflects our own fandom.”

However, efforts to restrict prop betting in North Carolina have stalled. State Rep. Marcia Morey, a Democrat from Orange County, has introduced several bills to ban prop betting on college sports, but they have not progressed. Morey, a former NCAA investigator, emphasized the need for action, stating, “We’re seeing a huge increase in social media threats to college players.”

Former Rep. Jason Saine, who helped legalize sports betting in the state, contends that athletes will always face public scrutiny regardless of betting. “They’re going to get criticized, period. That happened before sports betting. It will happen after sports betting,” he said.

As this situation evolves, a new investigative documentary titled The Gamble: Sports Betting in North Carolina will premiere on March 18, exploring the rapid rise of the sports betting industry and its implications for college athletics.

As more athletes like Isaiah Evans speak out about the pressures they face, the call for regulatory action against prop bets is becoming increasingly urgent. The safety and mental well-being of these young athletes must be prioritized amid the growing influence of gambling on college sports.