After a former mobster claimed he earned $5 million to $8 million a week during the prime of his career in organized crime, a crowd of university student athletes let out a collective gasp.
Michael Franzese, a former member of the notorious New York-based Columbo crime family and known as "Long Island Don," told the Terrapin student athletes yesterday why they should stay away from gambling, more than nine years after five university athletes were exposed for betting on college sporting events.
"If you're dealing with a bookmaker, some way, somehow, you're associated with organized crime," said Franzese, who at his first of two speeches at the university admitted to fixing several college games. "Don't let somebody like the guy that I was use you."
Franzese, who has spoken for the NCAA and several professional sports leagues since 1996, shared his experiences at two mandatory presentations for student athletes yesterday at the Colony Ballroom in Stamp Student Stamp Student Union and the Gossett Team House - each team that was not playing out of town was required to attend one of the speeches.
"It's the last thing I thought I'd be doing in my life," said Franzese, who was convicted of tax fraud and racketeering and spent seven years in prison.
Franzese confessed to destroying the careers of many college athletes between 1980 and 1991 when he had a successful gambling operation. He did not take bets directly, but explained that all bookies are connected to organized crime in some fashion.
He said he earned the mob more than $300 million, which included revenue from gambling and the gasoline industry. He said he would challenge a football player of any size to mess with mobsters like him.
But after being recruited out of prison to speak to athletes, Franzese said all of the money he earned is gone, and he is focusing on being a father to seven children and an influential speaker and writer.
A self-proclaimed former jock, Franzese said a divine force has allowed him to safely depart a life of organized crime and pass on his message to young athletes.
In May, the NCAA announced findings that almost 35 percent of male student-athletes and 10 percent of female student-athletes polled said they engaged in some type of sports wagering in the previous year.
More than 2 percent of football players admitted they had been asked to affect the outcome of a game, while 1.4 percent said they had done so, according to the survey.
Franzese used statistics like these, examples of incidents at other universities and anecdotes from his life of crime to convey the dangers of gambling.
"Gambling is an addiction," Franzese told the students. "It is a problem that shows no bounds. I've seen more people suffer with gambling addictions than with drugs and alcohol."
Franzese blamed the more than 54,500 online betting sites for making it so easy for young people to get involved with gambling.
After Franzese's presentation, Athletics Director Debbie Yow told the students about the situation in 1995 - her first year in the position - when quarterback Scott Milanovich, star wide receiver Jermaine Lewis, two other football players and one basketball player were suspended for betting on games. That case and others in the early 1990s led to the NCAA imposing stricter regulations on gambling.
"I think it was an effective message," water polo player Kacie Owens said. "[Gambling] is a lot more widespread than I thought it was."
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Michael Franzese, a former member of the notorious New York-based Columbo crime family and known as "Long Island Don," told the Terrapin student athletes yesterday why they should stay away from gambling, more than nine years after five university athletes were exposed for betting on college sporting events.
"If you're dealing with a bookmaker, some way, somehow, you're associated with organized crime," said Franzese, who at his first of two speeches at the university admitted to fixing several college games. "Don't let somebody like the guy that I was use you."
Franzese, who has spoken for the NCAA and several professional sports leagues since 1996, shared his experiences at two mandatory presentations for student athletes yesterday at the Colony Ballroom in Stamp Student Stamp Student Union and the Gossett Team House - each team that was not playing out of town was required to attend one of the speeches.
"It's the last thing I thought I'd be doing in my life," said Franzese, who was convicted of tax fraud and racketeering and spent seven years in prison.
Franzese confessed to destroying the careers of many college athletes between 1980 and 1991 when he had a successful gambling operation. He did not take bets directly, but explained that all bookies are connected to organized crime in some fashion.
He said he earned the mob more than $300 million, which included revenue from gambling and the gasoline industry. He said he would challenge a football player of any size to mess with mobsters like him.
But after being recruited out of prison to speak to athletes, Franzese said all of the money he earned is gone, and he is focusing on being a father to seven children and an influential speaker and writer.
A self-proclaimed former jock, Franzese said a divine force has allowed him to safely depart a life of organized crime and pass on his message to young athletes.
In May, the NCAA announced findings that almost 35 percent of male student-athletes and 10 percent of female student-athletes polled said they engaged in some type of sports wagering in the previous year.
More than 2 percent of football players admitted they had been asked to affect the outcome of a game, while 1.4 percent said they had done so, according to the survey.
Franzese used statistics like these, examples of incidents at other universities and anecdotes from his life of crime to convey the dangers of gambling.
"Gambling is an addiction," Franzese told the students. "It is a problem that shows no bounds. I've seen more people suffer with gambling addictions than with drugs and alcohol."
Franzese blamed the more than 54,500 online betting sites for making it so easy for young people to get involved with gambling.
After Franzese's presentation, Athletics Director Debbie Yow told the students about the situation in 1995 - her first year in the position - when quarterback Scott Milanovich, star wide receiver Jermaine Lewis, two other football players and one basketball player were suspended for betting on games. That case and others in the early 1990s led to the NCAA imposing stricter regulations on gambling.
"I think it was an effective message," water polo player Kacie Owens said. "[Gambling] is a lot more widespread than I thought it was."
Story
