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Attorneys representing athletes from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and Ellsworth Community College have launched a 47-page lawsuit against the Division of Criminal Investigation. The legal complaint asserts that these athletes had their constitutional rights infringed upon during a sports wagering investigation that employed geolocation software to monitor their cellphone activities without appropriate legal authority. The investigation not only led to criminal charges against the athletes but also affected their NCAA eligibility.
“The lives of these young men have been disrupted and altered in ways still yet to be fully seen,” stated Matt Boles, Adam Witosky, and Van Plumb, attorneys for the plaintiffs.
“It is our hope that through the civil action we can help these young men put their lives back on track and gain a measure of justice for the violation of their rights.”
The attorneys contend that the Iowa Department of Public Safety, its Division of Criminal Investigation, and its agents breached the athletes’ civil rights by using GeoComply software without a warrant. This software was used to detect phones employing mobile sports betting apps within the facilities of Iowa and Iowa State Universities. While there were warrants for gathering this information, the lawsuit claims these were “invalid and unconstitutional” as the data was initially obtained without a warrant.
Among the plaintiffs are 26 current and former athletes—16 from the University of Iowa, nine from Iowa State, and one from Ellsworth. The group includes 13 football players, six wrestlers, and seven who participated in either baseball or basketball. Out of these, 16 faced criminal charges, with 12 pleading guilty to underage gambling. The remaining athletes had their charges dropped but nonetheless experienced loss of playtime, the looming threat of NCAA or NFL sanctions, and adverse impacts on their athletic careers.