The NCAA has seen its role in modern college sports affairs change as the landscape has evolved over the years. On Wednesday, the governing body's Division I Administrative Committee adopted a proposal allowing student-athletes and athletic department staff to bet on professional games. The chair of the NCAA's Division I Administrative Committee, Josh Whitman, who is also the Illinois Fighting Illini athletic director, released a statement detailing why the authority adopted the proposal. "The Administrative Committee was clear in its discussion today that it remains concerned about the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling but ultimately voted to reduce restrictions on student-athletes in this area to better align with their campus peers," Josh Whitman said. "This change allows the NCAA, the conferences, and the member schools to focus on protecting the integrity of college games while, at the same time, encouraging healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities on professional sports."College football fans on X had mixed reactions to the beleaguered NCAA's controversial proposal."Call it the Mateer rule," one fan tweeted."We sure Ryan Williams hasn’t already been betting his over on drops this season?" Another fan tweeted."Allow the referees as well, they already do it anyways. Why not," one fan tweeted.Some fans were not pleased with the adoption of the proposal. "Quickest way to ruin a sport is to allow the participants and officials to gamble on it," one fan tweeted."Dangerous.. you're gonna make it so people can fix games," another fan tweeted."It’s only a matter of time before some college kid gets hooked on gambling and loses all their NIL money," one fan tweeted.NCAA committee reveals support for gambling proposalThe adoption of the proposal allowing student-athletes to gamble on professional games would need approval by both Division II and Division III during their monthly meetings and would be effective on November 1.After the announcement, the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee released a statement breaking down its reasons for supporting the proposal. "The NCAA Division I SAAC supports the deregulation of the prohibition on sports wagering related to professional sports. We believe this change represents meaningful progress toward a culture that prioritizes education, transparency and support over punishment," the statement said. "By removing unnecessary barriers, we are hopeful that student-athletes and athletics administrators will feel empowered to come forward, seek help and engage in open dialogue without fear. We are also mindful that conferences and institutions should retain the right to regulate sports wagering activity within their own communities as they see appropriate."The adoption of the proposal by the committee comes just weeks after the NCAA revealed that 13 student-athletes in six programs were under investigation by the body for gambling on their own games.