It's time to ban betting on college sports

As far as sports betting goes, Pandora's box has been opened. Putting the contents back in is not an option.

Despite all the headaches commissioners and executives now face, this is the new reality of sports. The toll on athletes can take a dangerous shift as they influence bettors' bank accounts with their play on the field. For a college athlete, this is an unnecessary burden that shouldn't be happening.

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne recently appeared on "The Next Round" and revealed that people request money from him on Venmo after losses. To the contrary, he joked that he's never been paid by a bettor or seen a cut of the winnings after a big win.

Thorne seems to handle the matter with maturity, but it highlights one of many reasons betting on college sports should be illegal. According to an ESPN report , results from a study by Signify, an artificial intelligence company and NCAA partner, found that one in three high-profile college athletes receive messages from individuals with a "betting interest."

This is problematic for many reasons and the NCAA has already had its fair share of gambling issues. Iowa football , Alabama baseball and Notre Dame swimming have all been the subject of scandals within the past year and many more programs have had issues as well.

Those are the problems programs face from the inside. On the flip side, it's just as noteworthy the pressure and expectations that come from the outside. SEC quarterbacks have always shouldered a burden as they try to help their team win. But on top of that, now there's the added pressure of a bettor putting hundreds or thousands of dollars on the line — counting on that quarterback to get the job done for them.

This is unnecessary and, simply put, too much for an 18-to-22-year-old kid to experience. As college sports shift more to a professional model and athletes rake in larger sums of money thanks to NIL deals, it is easy to think college athletes are pro athletes. But they are not and shouldn't be treated the same way.

College athletes are going to class, figuring out career paths, juggling other extracurriculars, establishing a social life and so much more. The four-year stretch is the start of the most important stretch of their life . On top of everything else going on, athletes don't need bettors in their Venmo accounts or filling their DM's with hateful messages.

To the NCAA's credit, it is attempting to have states ban prop bets on college athletes. Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio and Vermont have all taken that measure. In March, NCAA President Charlie Baker spoke out on the dangers of sports betting.

“Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes getting harassed,” Baker said. “The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets.”

Baker's plea has been met with slow progress, but it's time for the states to step up and enact the ban.