Dont Bet on It Seminar Held at LSU by Chad Vignes LSU Sports Information In partnership with the NCAA’s “Don’t Bet On It” program, LSU welcomed guest speaker Michael Franzese, former Italian mob boss, to speak to its student-athletes about the dangers of gambling last Wednesday night at a seminar in the Campbell Auditorium. Franzese was one of the most wealthy and high-profile mob bosses in the United States as a member of the Colombo crime family in the mid-1980s. His criminal empire spanned several businesses, movie productions and illegal gambling operations with some involving college sports. “I’ve probably brought down as many athletes through illegal gambling and points shaving as there are people in this room,” Franzese admitted as he addressed a room of more than 400 LSU student-athletes. After pleading guilty to a racketeering indictment and receiving a 10-year prison sentence, Franzese vowed to leave the mob and begin a life free of criminal activity in 1996. Since then, Franzese has been able to use experiences from his former life to raise awareness and resistance to illegal gambling and gambling addictions across the country. He has spoken to more than 350 universities across the country, as well as NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball franchises about the dangers of gambling and the dramatic effect it has on the lives of its athletes. Through several gripping and entertaining stories, Franzese explained how easy and attractive gambling and sports wagering can be to college student-athletes and how dangerous it can become. “Even if you think it’s no big deal, this is a serious issue,” Franzese warned. “It can start from something as small as Internet penny poker and grow into a horrible addiction that can ruin your lives and the lives of those close to you.” LSU Associate Athletics Director for Compliance Bo Kerin said he thought the seminar was a success and that Franzese was an effective speaker. “At Joe Alleva’s direction, we attempted to identify a unique and dynamic speaker for this event. Michael Franzese was all of that and more,” Kerin said. “Mr. Franzese has a very powerful message, which resonated with our student-athletes, and we were fortunate to have the privilege of hosting him on the LSU campus as part of our broader efforts to enhance the student-athlete educational experience. “Following his presentation, dozens of student-athletes surrounded him with the hope of hearing more about his story and how he has managed to turn his life around.” Demetrius Byrd, a wide receiver for the LSU football team, was one of those stu dent-athletes who approached Franzese after the presentation. “It was very interesting. I enjoyed listening to his stories,” Byrd said. “I don’t gamble, it’s not my thing, but this presentation was more motivation for me to continue to stay away from it.” Franzese also warned that gambling does not only affect men, but females are also at risk for being lured into its dangerous trap.
A 2004 NCAA survey found that 1 in 3 male student-athletes and 1 in 10 female student-athletes had either personally taken money for playing poorly, knew of someone who had taken money for playing poorly or gave inside information to gamblers. “I didn’t realize how bad it was, nor did I think female student-athletes were that involved,” said junior gymnast Susan Jackson. “It’s scary and definitely not something I want to be part of.” Each student-athlete was also given a pamphlet from the NCAA “Don’t Bet On It” program which outlines the NCAA rules on gambling, what to do if approached by gambling interests and how to stay out of trouble with sports wagering. Franzese warned that all student-athletes are at risk because of their competitive drive and that it’s not too late to seek help if a problem exists. “If you’re involved in gambling in anyway, don’t slow down. Stop!”