Former Iowa Hawkeyes Aaron Blom and Gehrig Christensen entered guilty pleas to underage gambling, a simple misdemeanor, per Ryan Hansen of the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
Both were initially charged with tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor that would have been punishable by a maximum sentence of up up to two years prison time and would have carried a fine of at least $855 to a maximum fine of $8,540.
With the guilty pleas to underage gambling, the tampering charges were dismissed and Blom and Christensen will instead pay a fine of $645. According to the terms of their guilty pleas, there will be no additional criminal punishments for either.
Blom was accused of making 170 mobile wagers totaling more than $4,400 from Jan. 28, 2021, to Feb. 22, 2022. The court documents allege that Blom wagered on an estimated eight University of Iowa sporting events, including the 2021 Iowa vs. Iowa State football game.
Meanwhile, Christensen was accused of using a DraftKings account to place a total of 559 underage wagers totaling more than $2,400, including approximately 23 bets on University of Iowa sporting events.
Blom began last season as Iowa’s top kicker, but he was replaced in favor of Drew Stevens following the Iowa State game. Christensen started six games for the Hawkeye baseball team and made 11 overall appearances last season. He batted .214 with a pair of RBIs.
John Steppe of The Gazette shared that a team spokesman confirmed today that Blom and walk-on receiver Jack Johnson are no longer on the Hawkeyes’ roster.
Walk-ons Aaron Blom and Jack Johnson are no longer on the #Hawkeyes' roster, a team spokesman confirmed to The Gazette.
Both have faced allegations of betting on their own team as part of the state's sports gambling probe.
— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) September 6, 2023
A trio of Iowa State players, quarterback Hunter Dekkers and linemen Dodge Sauser and Jacob Remsburg, also plead guilty to underage gambling. With the guilty pleas to underage gambling, their tampering with records charges have also been dismissed and they will each pay a $645 fine.
Now, each can focus on what happens next with their respective NCAA eligibilities.
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