NCAA Investigation: Four Alabama State Basketball Players Accused of Game-Fixing Scheme

On Friday, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) made the announcement that four men’s basketball players from Alabama State had engaged in match-fixing in order to win sports bets.

It was determined by the Division I Committee on Infractions panel that one former student-athlete had agreed to the infractions, while three other former student-athletes either opted not to engage in the investigation or were unresponsive to the questionnaire.

Key Takeaways

A sum of two thousand dollars was made available to the four persons in exchange for their efforts.

During the course of the NCAA’s investigations, two of the four individuals handed over material that was either inaccurate or deceptive.

When all four players were on the team, Alabama State was able to win its first game in the March Madness tournament.

At this time, Armarr Knox, Shawn Fulcher, Corey “CJ” Hines, and Tony Madlock are not participating in any NCAA sports and are no longer a part of the Alabama State Crimson Tide basketball team.

The NCAA’s enforcement staff was approached by Temple University in July 2025 after they were contacted by the FBI investigating Hines, who transferred throughout the summer. Hines had transferred from Virginia to Temple University. In accordance with the announcement made by the NCAA, the FBI reportedly produced text texts that detailed violations of match integrity that occurred during Hines’ stay for Alabama State.

He told the NCAA in interviews that took place in October 2025 and January 2026 that Fulcher had put himself and his teammates in a group chat with one of two known sports bettors in December 2024. Knox’s interviews took place in October 2025 and January 2026. Additionally, he asserted that the bettor made an offer to compensate the student-athletes in the event that they threw their game versus Southern Mississippi during the following evening.

Knox continued by stating that the student-athletes received a total payment of $2,000 from the second known bettor; this was stated by Knox. Each of the four student-athletes committed Level I violations of the NCAA’s ethical conduct regulations when they accepted these bribes and attempted to manipulate their performances.

It was on January 14 that the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania brought allegations of wire fraud and bribery against both of the individuals who were betting.

Failure to cooperate

In addition to Knox, the NCAA conducted interviews with Fulcher; nevertheless, it was reported that he was not as helpful as Knox.

He denied correspondence with the sports bettors, shared information with the bettors, and also gambled on sports himself, which led the enforcement staff to the conclusion that he provided information that was either incorrect or deceptive. According to the records, he was compensated for providing information to others over the phone and also for placing wagers on sporting events by utilizing a daily fantasy site.

In January of 2026, an attorney representing Hines informed the NCAA that he desired to take part in an interview as a component of the inquiry. On the other hand, it was discovered that he had provided information that was either incorrect or misleading regarding the call and the sharing of information with sports bettors. Furthermore, he did not produce a log of his text message history when it was required of him.

In spite of the fact that Madlock would no longer be eligible to play after the 2024-25 season, he declined to give the NCAA an interview.

Both Fulcher and Knox committed a Level I violation when they did not comply with an investigation. This is a violation that requires immediate attention.

Several accusations of fraud were brought against Fulcher and Hines by the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in connection with their participation in the Southern Mississippi game. Additionally, individuals who still had college eligibility were stripped of it, and the NCAA is the only organization that can reinstate any of them.

Tarnishing a legacy

At Alabama State University, the three players who scored the most points during the 2024-25 season were Knox, Hines, and Madlock. This season concluded with the program’s fifth berth in the March Madness tournament. The reserve player was Fulcher.

As a result of Knox’s game-winning layup with one second remaining in a First Four contest against Saint Francis, which delivered Alabama State’s first-ever victory in March Madness, he was enshrined in the annals of the program’s history. None of the players were on a team that was active during the previous year.