A former University of San Francisco men’s basketball player allegedly broke sports betting rules and is permanently ineligible for collegiate athletics, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
Marcus Williams is accused of sharing information with an athlete at another school who used daily fantasy sports platforms to bet on Williams’ performance, according to a negotiated resolution that was made in coordination with USF.
The NCAA said Williams participated in the process and agreed to his violations, and noted that he already has no college eligibility left. His senior year ended with the 2024-25 season, when was a starting guard who averaged 15 points per game for the Dons. The team finished 25-10 and made it to the postseason before losing in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament in March.
Williams went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft but the Miami Heat signed him to a Summer League contract in June.
The violations were uncovered when the NCAA investigated Mykell Robinson, who at the time was playing for the men’s basketball team at California State University, Fresno. The NCAA alleged that between November 2024 and this January, Williams told Robinson to bet the over for over-under prop bets on Williams’ points or other statistical categories like rebounds or assists.
The NCAA alleges that in March, he also denied having any daily fantasy sports betting account while being a student-athlete, though their investigation determined he had an account under his name and email address. The resolution clarified that Williams himself placed bets on professional sports events, not any collegiate ones.
In September, the NCAA ruled Robinson permanently ineligible after alleging that he discussed with a former Fresno State roommate his plan to underperform in several statistical categories for a game in January so they could bet the under for over-under prop bets for those categories. Robinson and two other people bet a combined $2,200 in under bets for that game and got a payout of $15,950, according to the NCAA.
University of San Francisco spokesperson Kellie Samson said the case involving Williams was deemed by the NCAA to be “a Level III incident, meaning it was limited in nature and a minor infraction.”
Samson added, “The University of San Francisco remains committed to upholding all NCAA rules and ensuring that each student-athlete representing the institution meets all eligibility requirements.”
