The NCAA has issued a four-year show-cause order against former North Carolina A&T assistant men’s basketball coach Patrick Herron after determining that he violated sports betting rules while working for the university.
According to a negotiated resolution released Tuesday, Herron placed at least $4,000 in bets on professional and college sporting events between Dec. 4, 2023, and Nov. 23, 2024. None of the wagers involved a North Carolina A&T team.
The case went beyond Herron placing bets, however. The NCAA found that he also worked with a bookmaker who was a childhood friend. Herron distributed parlay sheets to four other friends and received a 20% commission on the bets generated.
Herron paid the bookmaker weekly through Zelle. Investigators could not determine the full amount wagered because of the nature of the transactions. They estimated the total at $4,000 after reviewing his bank records and information he provided.
The NCAA classified Herron’s conduct as a Level I-standard violation. Similar cases involving staff members wagering on professional and college events have often received Level II classifications. The Committee on Infractions said Herron’s work on behalf of the bookmaker elevated the severity of this case.
The resolution says North Carolina A&T had provided sports betting education and Herron knew the rules. He did not share the parlay sheets with university coaches or staff, and nobody at the institution knew about his gambling problems.
Herron reported the sports betting activity to North Carolina A&T head coach Monté Ross on Nov. 23, 2024. The resolution states that Herron disclosed the activity while seeking help for a gambling addiction that had caused financial problems.
Ross notified the university’s director of athletics. North Carolina A&T opened an internal investigation on Dec. 4 and reported the violations to NCAA enforcement four days later. The university placed Herron on administrative leave before terminating him in February 2025.
Four-year NCAA show-cause order
Herron’s show-cause order runs from Sept. 15, 2026, through Sept. 14, 2030. Any NCAA member institution employing him must bar him from all athletically related duties during the first two years.
During the third year, an employing institution must suspend Herron for 30% of the men’s basketball regular season. That penalty equals 10 games. He cannot contact athletics staff, coaches or student-athletes during the suspension. He also cannot participate in travel, practices, video study, recruiting or team meetings.
In the fourth year, the employing institution must provide Herron with gambling education.
The NCAA identified two aggravating factors: conduct intended to produce financial gain and a willful disregard for association rules. Herron received mitigating consideration for promptly acknowledging the violation and having no previous Level I, Level II or major infractions findings.
Although Herron spoke with NCAA investigators in February 2025, he later declined to participate in the processing of the negotiated resolution. Under NCAA procedures, his nonparticipation was treated as acceptance of the agreement’s terms.
North Carolina A&T’s portion of the matter was handled separately as a Level III violation. The university did not receive probation, postseason restrictions, recruiting penalties or financial-aid reductions in Herron’s Level I sports betting case.
