Athletes tied to Iowa gambling sting seek damages in civil lawsuit against state and investigators

By ERIC OLSON
AP College Football Writer

Attorneys for more than two dozen Iowa and Iowa State athletes who were ensnared in a state gambling sting have filed a civil lawsuit seeking unspecified monetary damages from the state and its public safety and criminal investigation agencies for violating the athletes’ constitutional rights and damaging their reputations. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in Des Moines and names as plaintiffs 17 athletes from Iowa, eight from Iowa State and one from Ellsworth Community College. The athletes are asking for punitive damages on top of compensatory damages and attorney fees.