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Why is John Mateer trending? Oklahoma quarterback's alleged 2022 gambling activity explained

Screenshots of transactions from a Venmo account supposedly belonging to the athlete have gone viral.
posted by Nirali Sheth
Tuesday 8/12/2025 at 7:26AM EDT
  • John Mateer (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
    John Mateer (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

    Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has made headlines after screenshots of transactions from a Venmo account supposedly belonging to the athlete went viral. Things took a turn on Monday, August 11, 2025, when X user Bryan Aguada (@Bryan_Aguada) shared a post claiming Mateer had "engaged in sports betting," citing the alleged screenshots as proof.

    The post went viral with over 2.9 million views. The pictures alleged the quarterback paid Richard Roaten money for "sports gambling" in November 2022. Per Aguada, who claims to be a journalist and an insider for Deadspin, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) prohibits its players from betting on any "NCAA-sanctioned events."

    Notably, the alleged Venmo transaction showed John Mateer wagered on a UCLA vs. USC football game. Roaten might be Mateer's former Washington State teammate Landon Roaten.

    A profile picture on the account (reportedly under the name @john-mateer-5) shows a photo of the athlete's back in his notable Cougars jersey with No. 10 on display. Roaten's profile showed a Cougars jersey with No. 59 on display (Landon's number).

    John Mateer's Venmo account made payments with similar labels in line with juvenile humor

    John Mateer hails from Texas. He joined Washington State in 2022, playing for the Cougars in one game that season. He was a backup player next year. It wasn't until 2024 that he became a starter. That was his breakout year, boasting throws for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns. He transferred to the University of Oklahoma this winter and will be playing for the Sooners starting this season, per Stormin in Norman.

    According to Fansided, since reports of the Venmo account went viral, all of the transactions linked to the account have been taken down. Bryan Aguada, too, confirmed the same in a follow-up post.

    Citing screenshots circulating online, the outlet reported another payment made to Richard Roaten, which was labelled "ultra sports gambling FIFA world cup."

    It is worth noting that several other transactions seen on the account showed instances of juvenile humor. As shared by X user Kyle Reese (@JerkStoreManagr), in April 2023, John Mateer paid Hudson Cedarland for "Turning Gay." Meanwhile, another transaction with Quinn McCarthy was labelled "Slapping some b*lls."

    In light of the controversy, some netizens, including X user Barstool Sooners (@OUBarstool), came to John Mateer's defense. Resharing a post alerting the NCAA of the screenshots, they wrote:

    "Thank you for admitting you're a nerd who has never put funny Venmo captions to friends."

    Mateer, for his part, has not publicly reacted to the development. However, it is worth noting that in June the athlete told On3 he focused his energies on being Oklahoma’s starting quarterback. He elaborated that he removed X from his phone and did not check his account more than a few times each week. He also limited his screen time.

    According to Fansided, it doesn't seem John Mateer will face much heat from authorities even if he made the alleged transactions. While the athlete was a Washington State player when the payments were made (coming under the purview of the NCAA), they seem to stem from internal jokes rather than any nefarious activity. Notably, other transactions back up the idea that Mateer did not label his payments literally.

    TOPICS: John Mateer