Notre Dame has put its men’s swimming team on hold for at least one academic year after discovering multiple breaches of NCAA gambling rules and other serious misconduct.

Pete Bevacqua, Notre Dame’s Director of Athletics, announced the suspension on Thursday, stating that these gambling infractions reflect “a deeply embedded team culture that disregards Notre Dame’s standards for student-athletes.”

“The predominant cultural issues within the team made a full suspension necessary,” Bevacqua said in his statement. “To bring an end to this behavior and to foster an environment of dignity, respect, and proper conduct, we have opted to suspend the men’s swimming program for a minimum of one academic year.”

Amid concerns regarding the team’s culture, Notre Dame enlisted a law firm to carry out an independent investigation. Bevacqua noted that the inquiry validated the claims of misconduct and provided insight into the “concerning behaviors” of the team.

“The external review also revealed numerous infractions of NCAA regulations forbidding gambling on intercollegiate swimming and other sports, despite ongoing and clear training provided to our student-athletes regarding these rules,” the statement explained.

Bevacqua added that the coaching staff of the swim team, who cooperated fully with the investigation, were “unaware of the gambling activities or the level of the team’s misconduct.”

Meanwhile, the men’s diving team and the women’s swimming and diving teams are not implicated in the investigation and will continue to participate in competitions for the 2024-25 school year.

“Team members effectively hid these behaviors from the coaches and staff through deliberate efforts,” Bevacqua noted. “When the coaching staff became aware of specific incidents of unacceptable behavior, they addressed them promptly and professionally. We thank our staff for their continued commitment to our women’s swimming and diving programs and our men’s diving program during these challenging times.”

Notre Dame swimming head coach Chris Lindauer expressed that the university’s actions are crucial for restoring the program’s culture.

“Although the past few months have been tough, I believe Notre Dame has taken the right steps to prevent this misconduct from persisting,” Lindauer stated in a message shared by BlueandGold.com. “Our team culture is my highest priority, and I am dedicated to enhancing the student-athlete experience both in and out of the pool. I am optimistic that we will emerge from this situation stronger than before.”

Bevacqua emphasized that not every member of the men’s swimming team was involved in the violations: “We deeply regret that those team members who did not partake in this misconduct, as well as new recruits intending to join this fall, will also bear the consequences of this decision. While we are understandably upset by the actions that led to this choice, we understand that our students can err, and our aim is to educate and support them to the fullest extent possible.”

This development comes shortly after standout swimmer Chris Guiliano from Notre Dame secured an Olympic gold medal as part of Team USA’s 400-meter freestyle relay team. Lindauer also served as an assistant coach for the USA team.