Notre Dame Fighting Irish shut down swim program due to various 'issues'

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish has been troubled by the men's swimming team for months. Now, the administration is suspending the program for at least a year.

The suspension came after internal and external investigations revealed a widespread gambling issue that violated NCAA rules. That was just the tip of the iceberg, though. Athletic director Pete Bevacqua said in a statement that the swimmers suffered from "a deeply embedded team culture dismissive of Notre Dame's standards for student-athletes."

Sports Illustrated reports that the timing will enable athletes wishing to transfer—including incoming freshmen—to do so before classes begin at the school on Aug. 27. According to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish administration, the suspension pertains only to the men's swimming team, while the women's team and both diving teams are unaffected by the disciplinary action.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish shut down the swim team

The reasons for the shutdown are quite frankly mind-boggling. According to the reports, the men's team effectively created its own sports book to wager on its swimming performances.

A majority of athletes wreturningthis season were believed to have placed bets. "Over/under" lines were established for swimmers times in certain races, and wagers were placed on the outcomes.

It should be pointed out that the NCAA frowns at athletes gambling, especially on athletes gambling in their own sport. It appears that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish administration is making sure that this kind of thing was stamped out as soon as they possibly could.

One has to wonder if the suspension will end up being more than a year, considering how bad things were with the swim team's athletes.