Alabama Baseball Betting Scandal Coach was “Reckless” in Placing $100K Bet, Say Reports

Article ByDavid Weir

July 12, 2023

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, Alabama Gambling News, Ohio Gambling News, US Gambling Crime News

This year’s Alabama baseball sports betting controversy has taken a new turn, with fresh details on the ongoing investigation emerging this week.

Sources close to the proceedings provided an update on the suspicious wagering activity that led to the firing of former University of Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Brad Bohannon and youth league coach Bert Neff Jr, as reported by Sports Illustrated.

Neff Jr. visited the BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio (pictured) on April 28, 2023. There, he attempted to wager more than $100,000 on Alabama’s game that evening against the top-ranked Louisiana State University Tigers.

The bet raised eyebrows among staff for multiple reasons. Especially when, allegedly, Neff Jr. explicitly told them he had inside information on the game.

It was later determined, through staff accounts and venue security footage, that Neff had been in close contact with Bohannon as he tried to place the bet shortly before the first pitch of the game.

“This is an active, ongoing investigation,” Jessica Franks, director of communications for the OCCC, told SI.

“In this particular case, everyone [at the BetMGM venue] did their job. Once the staff at the sportsbook reported what they thought may have been suspicious or unusual activity, it was passed along to the commission and to U.S. Integrity.”

A Suspicious Bet

Neff Jr.’s attempted wager was more than the entire monthly handle in April for BetMGM’s retail sportsbook at Great American Ball Park, which was just $98,810.

The sportsbook staff declined to accept Neff’s wager, as most sportsbooks have betting limits, especially on college sports.

Neff Jr. reportedly begged BetMGM staffers to let him bet on the game, even revealing that he had inside information. That inside information came from a text conversation with Bohannon that said Alabama’s projected starting pitcher, Luke Holman, was to be ruled out of the game at the last minute through injury.

The conversation was visible on security cameras inside the retail sportsbook, according to an anonymous source familiar with the events who spoke to SI.

“It couldn’t have been any more reckless,” the source said.

Holman did, in fact, miss the game, which Alabama lost, 8-6.

The BetMGM venue in question has since announced it is looking to move its location after consistently ranking as the least-popular retail sportsbook in Ohio.

Investigation Underway

Sportsbook staff initially contacted Integrity, the Las Vegas-based independent sports bet monitoring firm that works with major sports leagues.

They forwarded that information to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the state’s sports betting regulator, who quickly launched an investigation into the incident.

“The commission does plan to share its findings once our investigation is complete. However, we haven’t landed on whether that will take place during a meeting or at some other press event,” said Franks.

“Given the interest in this case and our findings, we’ll try to give as much notice as possible.”

The scandal has had far-reaching effects. Neff is the father of University of Cincinnati baseball player Andrew Neff.

A pair of Cincinnati assistant coaches were fired this spring. The new reports allege both of them knew of Neff’s wagering activity, but failed to report it to administrators

Head coach Scott Googins resigned in late May. There’s no indication that players at Alabama, Cincinnati, or LSU made illicit wagers.

Potential Punishments

In addition to possible OCCC penalties, Bohannon will likely receive a notable punishment from the National Collegiate Athletics Association, or NCAA. Sharing inside information with a bettor is a prohibited act under its rules.

It’s possible the schools involved could also receive punishments from the NCAA, depending on what various investigations uncover.

Based on currently available information, Bohannon and Neff stand to receive the biggest penalties.

The NCAA has yet to publicly levy punishments for reported wagering violations at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. But the reduced penalty structure could bode well for some athletes at the two schools. Those violations didn’t compromise the integrity of any games, according to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

Last month, the NCAA released updated guidelines on punishments for athletes and staff who break its rules on sports betting. It promised more leniency and consideration of mitigating factors in most cases.

However, considering Neff, and potentially Bohannon, were compromising integrity by standing to profit hundreds of thousands from inside information, it’s hard to imagine the NCAA letting them off lightly in this case.