A criminal investigator for the state of Iowa suggested to colleagues last year that busting college athletes for online sports betting would impress the public and “the powers that be” and perhaps nudge lawmakers toward updating gambling laws.

“If they get suspended or get a scholarship taken away, so be it,” Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Christopher Adkins wrote in his February 2023 email.

Attorneys for more than two dozen Iowa and Iowa State athletes caught in a 2023 gambling sting obtained Adkins’ email and 32 others from the Department of Public Safety through an open records request and released them to The Associated Press on Thursday.

They were among attorneys who filed a civil lawsuit last week against the state and its public safety and criminal investigation agencies for violating the athletes’ rights and damaging their reputations. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.