KSU’s Antoine Pettway calls out ‘predators’ in alleged point-shaving ring

Speaking after his team’s first home game since its star player and a former team member were indicted for their alleged involvement in a point-shaving ring, Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway left little doubt about who he thought the real threats are.

Pettway labeled fixers who recruit athletes to accept bribes and underperform in games as “predators” and called on the FBI to punish them. Pettway spoke Wednesday night after the Owls’ home win over Western Kentucky, the team’s first game at VyStar Arena since federal indictments against KSU star guard Simeon Cottle, former team member Demond Robinson and 24 other individuals for allegedly participating in a point-shaving operation were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Jan. 15.

Pettway said he would find fault with any player who would accept bribes or underperform to shave points, “but I think something needs to be done about these predators that are reaching out to these young dudes in college basketball who don’t have a lot and dangle this money in front of their faces and ask them” to fix games, a decision that could result in years in prison.

The indictment alleged the fixers targeted athletes for whom the bribe money would meaningfully supplement or exceed the name, image and likeness payments they might have been receiving. The news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated college players generally were paid between $10,000 and $30,000 per game.

In Kennesaw State’s case, Cottle, Robinson and a third, unnamed player are alleged to have underperformed in the first half of a March 2024 game at Queens University so the Owls would not cover the first-half spread that favored Queens.

Cottle and Robinson face charges of bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the latter of which brings a maximum possible prison term of 20 years.

“You’re being a predator online and you’re reaching out to them, getting these dudes to mess up,” Pettway said. “Because there’s a lot of dudes on that list that you feel bad for, that they’ve got a long road ahead of them because, in the dark, a grown-up reached out to them and led them down the wrong path.”