NCAA bans four former Alabama State players for game-fixing in 2024

The NCAA announced Friday that four former Alabama State men’s basketball players were permanently ineligible for accepting payments to manipulate a game against Southern Mississippi in December 2024.

Amarr Knox, Shawn Fulcher, Corey Hines, and Tony Madlock were accused of engaging in game-fixing when Alabama State played at Southern Miss on Dec. 5, 2024. Southern Miss was favored by six points and won the game 81-64, according to the NCAA.

The organization said two known bettors offered the players a total of $2,000 to throw the game. The players accepted and were later paid, the NCAA added. Knox, Hines, and Madlock were Alabama State’s top three scorers that season, while Fulcher was a reserve.

Knox’s layup with a second remaining secured Alabama State’s first NCAA Tournament win, a 70-68 victory over Saint Francis in the 2025 First Four. The two bettors were indicted in January by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on wire fraud and bribery charges related to sports betting.

The NCAA said it uncovered the game-fixing after Hines transferred to Temple and was contacted by the FBI, which showed him text messages related to a sports integrity issue from his time at Alabama State. None of the players participated in college basketball last season.

Source: Original Article