The Weinhardt Law Firm pushes back on Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers' betting scandal allegation: "This charge attempts to criminalize"

Hunter Dekkers is one of the former current or former Iowa State Cyclones who has been charged with tampering with records in an illegal sports betting investigation. The Cyclones starting quarterback released a statement in which he pushed back on the criminal charges.

Keith Murphy of WHO 13 shared the statement from The Weinhardt Law Firm, which has been hired to represent Dekkers, on Twitter:

"Hunter Dekkers denies the criminal charge brought against him. He will plead not guilty to that charge because he is in fact not guilty of that charge. This charge attempts to criminalize a daily fact of American life. Millions of people share online accounts of all kinds every day.

"This prosecution interferes with and politicizes what is the business of Iowa State University and the NCAA. The investigation at the Iowa universities is the tip of an iceberg. Thousands and thousands of college athletes place bets — usually very small ones — with shared accounts. That is for the schools and the NCAA to police."

The statement also offered some insight into the investigation:

"This investigation has gone on since May, when DCI agents executed a search warrant at Hunter’s apartment in Ames and another at his family’s home in northwest Iowa. The investigation has been an immense distraction from Hunter’s ability to be a good student and a great teammate."

The statement said that Dekkers will not participate in fall camp as he will step away from the team to focus on his criminal defense. It is unclear if he will return this season or if he faces NCAA punishment.

Dekkers took over the Cyclones' starting quarterback gig last season, finishing the year with 3,044 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 66.1% of his passes.

Check out the full statement from Hunter Dekkers via The Weinhardt Law Firm below.

What led to Hunter Dekkers' criminal charges?

Hunter Dekkers was recently charged with tampering with records. The Iowa State Cyclones quarterback allegedly made 366 bets, which totaled $2,799. Twenty-six of the bets placed by Dekkers were on Iowa State sporting events, including a 2021 bet on the Cyclones' football game versus the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Dekkers was younger than the state of Iowa's legal betting age of 21 years old at the time of most of the bets. His parents, Scott and Jami Dekkers, reportedly helped him disguise his identity to sign up for a DraftKings account. It is unclear if they will face charges.