Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has faced questions about some alleged screenshots from his Venmo account, and the school is reportedly investigating the situation.
Screenshots and videos that were widely circulated on social media Monday claimed to show multiple Venmo transactions linked to Mateer that contained the phrase “sports gambling.” The two main transactions in question were on Nov. 20, 2022, which was when Mateer was a freshman at Washington State.
The alleged transactions that referenced “sports gambling” were between Mateer and a Venmo account for Richard Roaten, who is believed to be one of Mateer’s former Washington State teammates.
While some have questioned whether the screenshots could have been altered, there were also videos that appeared to show people actively scrolling through the account that is believed to belong to Mateer.
“When I saw the screenshots on Monday night, my first thought was ‘This has got to be fake.’”
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) August 12, 2025
— Naive me, assuming something is simply too dumb to be true@GeorgeStoia broke down the latest on QB John Mateer, including Oklahoma’s potential response.https://t.co/asYWnSoVxp pic.twitter.com/ze1vp2BYHl
According to a Tuesday report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Mateer has denied to Oklahoma officials that he has ever been involved with gambling. The school is still planning to investigate further, however.
Oklahoma also issued a statement saying they have “no reason to believe” there is going to be an NCAA investigation.
OU athletics has also released a statement regarding John Mateer.
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) August 12, 2025
"OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending." #Sooners pic.twitter.com/ULT2ziNuQR
Current rules prohibit student athletes or team staff from betting on any sports that have NCAA championships. One of the alleged screenshots connected to Mateer had a reference to “UCLA vs USC” in addition to “sports gambling.” Penalties for an athlete who has been found to have gambled on prohibited sports can include a loss of eligibility.
Mateer had his first full season as a starter last year at Washington State. He completed 64.6% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Mateer entered the transfer portal after last season as one of the top players available, and he had a disrespectful gesture when announcing his commitment to the Sooners.
