TLDR
- Four former Alabama State basketball players were found to have thrown a game against Southern Mississippi in December 2024 for cash
- Players Amarr Knox, Shawn Fulcher, Corey Hines, and Tony Madlock have all been declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA
- The scheme involved a group chat, a FaceTime call, and a $2,000 payment split among the players
- Two players were federally indicted in January 2026 on bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy charges
- The case came to light after the FBI contacted Corey Hines following his transfer to Temple University
Four former Alabama State basketball players have been permanently banned from NCAA competition after being found guilty of throwing a game in December 2024 in exchange for money.
The NCAA’s Division I Committee on Infractions confirmed that Amarr Knox, Shawn Fulcher, Corey Hines, and Tony Madlock agreed to lose a game against Southern Mississippi after being approached by outside bettors offering cash.
The total payout to the group was $2,000.
How the Fix Was Set Up
The scheme started when Fulcher added his teammates to a group chat with one of the bettors. On the morning of the game, the players joined a FaceTime call with the bettor.
During that call, Madlock told the group he was injured and would not play. Knox later confirmed to investigators that the group agreed to throw the game.
The bettor offered cash in exchange for the team to lose. The players followed through, and the money was paid out after the game.
How Investigators Found Out
The case surfaced in July 2025 when Temple University told NCAA enforcement staff that Corey Hines had been contacted by the FBI.
The FBI had shown Hines text messages connected to the betting scheme. That triggered a wider investigation involving interviews with all four players.
Knox cooperated and admitted to his role. Fulcher and Hines denied involvement in calls with bettors and claimed they had not placed personal bets, but records showed otherwise.
Fulcher had placed bets through a daily fantasy site. Hines failed to hand over requested text records after his interview.
Madlock, who had already used up his college eligibility, declined to take part in the investigation at all.
Federal Charges Follow
In January 2026, Fulcher and Hines were indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The charges include bribery in sports wagering contests, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The NCAA panel, made up of Norman Bay, Susan Lipnickey, and Steve Waterfield, ruled all four players permanently ineligible.
The panel noted that lying to investigators or refusing to cooperate are themselves violations of NCAA rules.
“Failure to cooperate in an NCAA investigation, including knowingly providing false information during an interview, violates NCAA rules,” the report stated.
The NCAA also noted that permanently ineligible players can only be reinstated if an NCAA institution steps forward to support that process.
