News & Insights

Clint Speegle Quoted in CBS Sports Article on NCAA Sports Betting

July 19, 2024

Following his June 8 presentation at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Convention, Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC partner Clinton T. Speegle was sought out by a CBS Sports reporter to share insights about his work on several college sports gambling investigations for top NCAA schools. 

Speegle was asked to shed light on the breaking news that a threat from a gambler led NCAA officials to request police protection for one of the eight teams competing in the 2023 College World Series. In the article, “Threat from gambler spurred police protection for 2023 College World Series team," he also discussed the often overlooked pressures faced by student-athletes who find themselves in situations where their peers are betting on them and their teammates. 

"I think it's the NCAA's No. 1 concern," Speegle told CBS Sports. "Talking to student-athletes, I've never had one admit to me that their colleagues or fellow students were putting pressure on them, but I think it's just a reality. You're sitting there in class and someone has DraftKings out."

Speegle has represented a number of leading clients in his career. This includes multiple major universities and athletics personnel facing NCAA compliance investigations; aviation owners and operators involved with NTSB, FAA and TSA investigations and civil litigation; and a variety of companies around the country in product liability and environmental litigation. Prior to law school, Speegle graduated from West Point and was a commissioned officer in the United States Army, serving multiple tours of duty in Iraq as an attack helicopter pilot with the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) and the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne).