A Venmo account claiming to be Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer allegedly paid his college football teammate for “sports gambling” in 2022. An account with his name shared three suspicious transactions with ‘Richard Roaten’ before they were suddenly removed.
Screenshots are currently going viral on social media.
The other involved party is an account claiming to be a former Washington State offensive lineman who is now at Abilene Christian. Nothing has been confirmed and the names don’t quite add up, which gives me pause.
Mateer is slated to be the staring quarterback for the Sooners after three years of college football with the Cougars. I find it hard to believe that a student-athlete would label his transactions with such ignorance but the truth will come out.
If he was betting on sports, even just with his friends, it could be the end of his amateur career. If this is just an elaborate prank, it could result in legal action.
Who is John Mateer?
John Mateer arrived to Pullman as a three-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2022. The Texas-native used his redshirt that season. He attempted 17 passes in 2023.
2024 was a breakout year. Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns on a 64.6% completion clip with only seven interceptions, and ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns on 178 carries.
The transfer portal landed him in Norman during this most recent offseason.
Did Oklahoma’s starting quarterback use Venmo for “sports gambling” while at Washington State?
A Venmo account with the name ‘John Mateer’ features a profile photo of the former Washington State quarterback wearing his No. 10 Cougars jersey. The three alleged transactions involved Richard Roaten— which appears to be former Washington State lineman Landon Roaten, as he is listed on the 2024 roster. His profile photo also includes his No. 59 Cougars jersey but the name discrepancy makes me question the legitimacy. Roaten currently uses ‘Landon’ on social media.
The three transactions read as follow:
- Nov. 20, 2022 — John Mateer paid Richard Roaten — “Sports gambling”
- Nov. 20, 2022 — John Mater paid Richard Roaten — “Sports gambling (UCLA vs USC)”
- Nov. 23, 2022 — Richard Roaten paid John Mateer — “Ultra sports gambling fifa World Cup”
Roaten and Mateer both used their redshirts in 2022. The latter appeared in one game. The former did not.
I do not know the nature of these three transactions, nor can I confirm the true owner of the involved accounts at this time, but I can confirm that they previously existed. If you are now to click on the John Mateer account, its feed will say “No transactions yet.” It also lists seven friends, including accounts that claim to be Djouvensky Schlenbaker and Emmett Brown.
NCAA athletes are not allowed to bet on sports. Regardless of whether this account does or does not belong to the Oklahoma quarterback, I wonder if he will choose to make a statement or if he decides to ignore the (perhaps self-imposed) drama.