IOWA CITY, IOWA — University of Iowa defensive tackle Noah Shannon’s Hawkeye career is over. On Tuesday, Kirk Ferentz announced that Shannon’s appeal of a year-long ban has been denied. The suspension will use up the last of the collegiate eligibility for Shannon, a sixth-year senior.

“Unfortunately we received some very disappointing news regarding Noah’s appeal to the NCAA. It was denied. That puts it to rest. I’m not quite sure what went into the decision, but what I can tell you is that Noah is just a tremendous young man, has been, he came back for his sixth year and he is a highly respected leader in our locker room and among our coaching staff,” Ferentz said in a news conference in Iowa City on Tuesday.

Despite Shannon being ineligible to play again, Ferentz says he will continue to practice and will continue to be part of the team, “We feel very, very unfortunate and our goal is to keep him with the program, keep him close and have him remain part of the team even though, obviously, he can’t play.”

Shannon has not been charged with breaking any laws but did violate NCAA policy against gambling. Shannon’s name came up in a statewide investigation that appears to have targeted male athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. That investigation has lead to charges against 11 current and former players across the two schools. They were all charged with Tampering With Records for allegedly using other people’s gambling app accounts to place sports bets. However, the State has since admitted that the players didn’t actually commit that crime as part of plea agreements that saw five players admit to Underage Gambling.

Ferentz pointed out on Tuesday that Shannon has not been accused of breaking any laws. As he sees it, Shannon is guilty of the same thing as all young people. “He made a mistake, a lot of young guys do,” Ferentz said, “There was no law broken here, he just made a mistake that I think a lot of young athletes do. He just happened to, for whatever reason, turned up in this investigation.”

Shannon released this statement after his appeal was denied:

I want to apologize to the fans and everyone who supports Iowa Football. I made a mistake and I have taken responsibility for it. I am heartbroken that I will not be able to play alongside my brothers again, but I plan to stick with the team and support them any way that I can going forward.  

I want to say thank you to my family, Coach Ferentz, the coaching staff, and all of my teammates and friends for their unwavering support. I am going to make sure that this mistake does not define me or my career going forward. 

Noah Shannon

An attorney for one defendant, former Cyclone and current Denver Bronco Eyioma Uwazurike, has claimed in court filings that the state illegally targeted his client and other athletes. Uwazurike has been suspended by the NFL for this season for gambling on games.