I have a relative who is an adjunct instructor at a well-known university. He teaches remedial math for jocks. He would confirm your story.
Yes, I laugh every time a famous athlete “got a 4.0 in whatever”.
I figure most of them are scams.
Two star basketball players at my alum stole a woman’s purse (while I was in college at the same time). They used her credit cards, as I recall (been awhile).
AFAIK, they were not removed from the team. I remember one name but not the other. I won’t name it either.