Photoshopped image of Ball State’s 5-10, 250-pound QB stirs major backlash: ‘Degrading, false’
Big Ten football: Key games in Week 1 of 2026 season
Three top-10 teams are in action, and Wisconsin hosts a national contender in an NFL stadium.
- Online betting platform Polymarket posted a photoshopped image of Ball State quarterback Keldric Luster.
- The altered photo, which exaggerated Luster’s size, was met with backlash and has since been deleted.
- Ball State’s assistant athletic director of communications called the image a “degrading, false, bullsh** representation.”
- Luster, nicknamed the “Bowling Ball State” quarterback, was recently named the team’s starter.
INDIANAPOLIS — Ball State’s new starting quarterback, 5-10, 250-pound Keldric Luster, has gained national attention for his size, but on Tuesday, online betting platform Polymarket posted what the football program says was a photoshopped image of Luster, which majorly bloated his appearance.
The fake photo of Luster on X resulted in backlash with people calling out Polymarket for the deception. Polymarket has since deleted the post. IndyStar reached out to the company, which describes itself as “the world’s largest prediction market platform for real-time global events,” but did not receive a response.
While Luster and the Ball State football program declined to comment on the photo, Kevin Messenger, Ball State’s assistant athletic director of communications, didn’t mince words on social media.
“@PolymarketBlitz your photoshop is a degrading, false, bullsh** representation of college football. Meet the real Keldric Luster.”
Messenger then posted the original photos of Luster, before they were recreated by Polymarket.
Luster, who has prompted the nickname “Bowling Ball State” for his program, was named the team’s starting quarterback last week.
Ball State football opens its season Saturday taking on No. 1 Ohio State at their home. While the Buckeyes are heavily favored to win, Luster may rattle them up a bit, Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports said on the “Cover 3” podcast last week.
“You think Ohio State is ready for that man rolling down the field, bowling over their linebackers and their tiny, little DBs?” Fornelli said. “He’s listed at 5-10, 250, which means in reality he’s probably like 5-9, 265. My man is a bowling ball quarterback.”
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Hunsinger on X: @danahunsinger33. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.