Iowa State football veteran tight end DeShawn Hanika unlikely to return this season
The Iowa State football depth chart at tight end will likely remain with no new additions for the foreseeable future. DeShawn Hanika is not expected to play this season.
The redshirt senior has not played this season after being charged in the state's sports gambling investigation. Hanika played 12 games last season, during which he caught 17 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns.
Iowa State has refused to comment on the NCAA eligibility of athletes involved in the gambling probe. Hanika, who has not officially been connected to an NCAA suspension regarding gambling, has not played this year after charging documents alleged that he bet on Iowa State basketball.
Hanika was alleged to have made 288 bets, with 70 on Iowa State basketball. He pleaded not guilty.
On Wednesday, the NCAA released new guidelines for student-athlete reinstatement for athletes serving penalties related to gambling.
"Effective immediately, reinstatement guidelines for student-athletes who wager on teams at their school — excluding their own team — will start at requiring one season of ineligibility and a loss of one year of eligibility," the new guidelines read.
Under previous NCAA rules, athletes who bet on games involving their school faced permanent ineligibility. The new guidelines state that athletes who bet on games involving their school now face a one-year suspension, as long as they didn't bet on their own team.
Hanika, who returned to practice in mid-October, has a COVID year remaining. In other words, he could play in the 2024 season.
A Story County judge recently granted the prosecution's motion to dismiss Hanika’s misdemeanor tampering with records charge after the state waited too long to indict him.
That action happened after attorneys originally asked for dismissal, and prosecutors agreed after Hanika was not indicted within 45 days after he waived a preliminary trial, as state law requires. The deadline was Sept. 24, and he was not indicted until Sept. 28.
Hanika was among several student-athletes at Iowa State and Iowa who were charged in connection with a state investigation into illegal sports wagering. Most were accused of underage gambling and registering accounts on mobile sports betting apps under a different name to disguise their identity.
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football tight end DeShawn Hanika likely out for the season
