Noah Shannon reflects on gambling suspension, remains steadfast in NFL pursuit

IOWA CITY — For Noah Shannon, no news on a Wednesday in October seemed to be a sign of bad news to come.

“You kind of just got that idea like, ‘Yeah, it’s not happening,” the former Iowa defensive lineman said.

It was Shannon’s chance to play in a Hawkeye uniform again as the NCAA reconsidered its sports wagering rules — a reconsideration that did not result in a decision on that Wednesday in late October (but rather a two-week postponement).

“You get your hopes up, and then they kind of just dwindle all the way back down,” Shannon said.

Shannon’s yearlong sports wagering suspension during his final year of collegiate eligibility was undoubtedly an unfortunate turn of events — “I’m not going to sit here and say it was super easy having to forfeit your senior season,” he said — but it is one that he has embraced as much as possible.

“You’re not always going to get your way in life,” Shannon said. “This was kind of like my first bit of adversity, but I know God is just preparing me for what’s to come later in life. It won’t be my first and only time of going through adversity.”

In Shannon’s year of off-the-field growth while his on-the-field growth was on standby, he “got a lot closer with God, got a lot closer with my family, got a lot closer with my teammates as well.”

Fellow defensive lineman Joe Evans said Shannon is “one of my favorite teammates of all-time.”

“He shows up and works his ass off every day,” Evans said. “You would have had no idea when he came in every single day that this allegation or whatever was going on. … I don’t know who else could have done that.”

Shannon also learned out of necessity to “control what you can control” — something that helped him eventually come to peace with his circumstances in “late October, November-ish.”

“I don’t think I really was at peace with myself and forgave myself until I realized I have no control over what’s going on now,” Shannon said. “I did before when I made the mistake, but now I just have to live with the results.”

Shannon placed a bet on a University of Iowa sports team, but not football, which was a violation of the NCAA’s sports wagering rules. The information came to light amid the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s sports betting probe, which has come under increased scrutiny in recent months.

An attorney for two former Iowa State football players alleged earlier this year the DCI’s methods of acquiring information in its investigation amounted to a “warrantless search,” and prosecutors later dropped the remaining charges against Iowa State athletes.

Going back to last November, Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said the NCAA “is ruling on an investigation that they did not instigate, using an uneven system of justice to severely punish an excellent young man.”

Shannon’s lack of 2023 season appears to have been costly in the pre-draft process. The two-time all-Big Ten honorable mention did not get an invite to the NFL Combine, Senior Bowl or East-West Shrine Bowl — three opportunities where Shannon could have wooed NFL scouts.

The good news for Shannon as he prepares for the NFL Draft is he has two years of film as a starter, including when Iowa’s defense led the country with only 3.99 yards allowed per play in 2022. He also played substantially as a reserve in 2020.

“Having two years under my belt definitely does help when it comes to scouts saying, ‘What’s your best game? What’s your worst game?’” Shannon said.

Despite going more than 14 months since his last college football game at this point, Shannon “definitely wouldn’t say I’ve lost my football edge.”

“When they did open up the reinstatement process and I was able to practice again, I got to practice for a lot of October, if not all of October,” Shannon said. “And I was practicing in August too during fall camp.”

Shannon said he met with a “couple” NFL teams after Iowa’s pro day on Monday.

“They had some great things to say,” Shannon said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to build relationships with them and see what comes next.”

Amid the uncertainty of Shannon’s NFL future, he at least will carry with him the benefits of a 2023 season of off-the-field growth.

“They say ‘new year, new you,’ whatever, but I actually do feel like it’s ‘new me’ with just how much I’ve matured and grown since last year,” Shannon said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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