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There were plenty of unhinged college football fans prior to the rise of legal sports betting, but it’s no secret that gambling is responsible for an unprecedented wave of unacceptable behavior. Now, it appears it was responsible for the messages that led to a man in Texas being indicted after targeting Louisville’s coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback after an upset loss.
Louisville headed into Saturday night’s showdown with Cal sitting at 7-1 and ranked #14 in the country, and it didn’t seem like the Cardinals were going to have too much trouble against a Golden Bears team that was 5-4 while entering the contest as 18.5-point underdogs on the road.
However, Cal didn’t get the memo, as they headed into the locker room with a 17-13 lead at halftime before Louisville tied things up to force overtime. The Cardinals had to settle for a field goal on the first possession of the extra period, and their opponents answered with the touchdown that capped off the 26-23 upset.
Louisville QB Miller Moss had a fairly underwhelming game while finishing with 203 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception, while head coach Jeff Brohm and his brother (and offensive coordinator) Brian caught plenty of heat for a game plan that was hampered by the absence of star running back Isaac Brown.
However, one man went a bit too far while voicing his displeasure with what transpired.
A man in Corpus Christi, Texas was hit with a slew of charges for threatening Louisville’s head coach, offensive coordinator, and QB
Last year, the NCAA published the results of a study that linked legal sports betting to a surge in harassment targeted at student-athletes, and all signs point to that being at the root of an investigation that led to one man in Texas being indicted in the wake of Louisville’s loss.
According to WDRB, a 38-year-old Corpus Christi resident named Brian Mandel was charged with six counts of terroristic threatening over messages he sent to Miller as well as both of the Brohm brothers following the upset at the hands of Cal.
The arrest warrant that was issued in a Jefferson County court on Monday also included a charge of “attempted theft by extortion of more than $10,000,” which stemmed from an alleged message “threatening to inflict bodily injury” on the QB as well as “individuals associated with” him.
Based on the now-deleted social media accounts that appeared to be associated with Mandel, it does not appear he has any direct ties to Louisville, as the bio on a scrubbed Instagram profile said he was a Baylor alum.
It’s worth noting the indictment does not list a specific motive, so while there’s currently no concrete evidence linking the threats to gambling, it would be very, very surprising to discover that was not the case.
Louisville spokesperson Rocco Gasparro issued a statement after the news broke, saying:
“We commend law enforcement for their swift and decisive action in addressing this matter.
Threats of violence have no place in our community or in sports, and we will continue to work closely with authorities to ensure a safe environment for all.”
Mandel has not been arrested as of this writing, but he is tentatively scheduled to answer to the charges in court on November 17th and will have to post a $100,000 bond to get out of jail.