Iowa football's Noah Shannon to miss Big Ten Media Days due to NCAA gambling investigation

Hawk Central
Defensive lineman Noah Shannon will not represent Iowa football at Big Ten Media Days next week due to his involvement in the NCAA investigation into sports gambling, the program announced Wednesday.
Initially, Shannon had been announced as one of Iowa's player representatives for Big Ten Media Days, scheduled for July 26-27 in Indianapolis, along with defensive back Cooper DeJean and tight end Luke Lachey. Shannon will be replaced by linebacker Jay Higgins.
More: Iowa, Iowa State sports gambling investigation: How serious is the situation?
"Being selected to represent the Iowa Hawkeye football team at Big Ten Media Day(s) is a tremendous honor and privilege," Shannon said in a statement. "I am grateful for the opportunity. However, given the circumstances, I told coach (Kirk) Ferentz it would (be) best for him to select another player. Since the NCAA review is not yet complete, I don’t feel it is right for me to represent the team."
Iowa defensive lineman Noah Shannon (99) pressures Nebraska's quarterback Casey Thompson during a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Shannon (6 feet, 295 pounds) has been a major contributor to Iowa's defense, starting 27 games across the last two seasons. He tallied 44 total tackles last season on a unit that was nothing short of dominant. He chose to return for a sixth year and now his status going forward remains unclear.
“Noah’s decision to share this information and suggest that another player take his place is reflective of his character,” Ferentz said in a statement. “Noah is a committed and dedicated teammate, and this is a fine example of him always wanting to put the team first."
More: NCAA announces lesser penalties to punish sports betting — good news for Iowa, ISU athletes
Shannon is the first Iowa football player to be publicly named in the sports-gambling investigation that flagged 26 athletes at Iowa and 15 at Iowa State; there could be more to come in football. Shannon has been a fixture in the middle of Iowa's deep defensive line alongside Logan Lee for the past two seasons, but if there's one position the Hawkeyes can afford some attrition it's probably defensive line.
Iowa's second-team defensive tackles are junior Yahya Black (6-5, 315) and sophomore Aaron Graves (6-4, 293), and coaches have also praised the strong string development of sophomore Jeremiah Pittman (6-3, 290).
According to recently adopted NCAA reinstatement guidelines, Shannon's college career would be in jeopardy if he bet on Iowa games (in any sport) and could lose half a season if he bet on any college football. But for all other wagering activity, he would face a loss of 30% of the season (3-4 games) if he wagered $801 or more; 20% of the season if he wagered between $501 and $800; 10% of the season for $201 to $500; and gambling education (no games missed) for $200 or less.
The Register's Chad Leistikow contributed to this report.