Alabama head baseball coach Brad Bohannon fired amid betting investigation
By Jacob Lev, CNN
University of Alabama head baseball coach Brad Bohannon was fired for, “among other things, violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of University employees,” the school announced Thursday.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said in a statement to CNN the school will not provide further comment due to an “ongoing review.”
Bohannon’s dismissal follows “alleged suspicious activity” last Friday at the sportsbook at The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio, according to an ESPN report that cites the Ohio Casino Commission.
The casino commission is investigating alleged suspicious wagering on the Crimson Tide’s April 28 game against the Louisiana State University Tigers, ESPN reported, citing unnamed industry sources.
No. 1 LSU beat Alabama 8-6 in that game.
No direct link between Bohannon’s firing and the suspicious bets have been announced. Jason Jackson will serve as the Alabama’s interim head coach, the school said.
Per ESPN, the state casino commission’s investigation is centered around multiple bets on the Tigers to win from the same customer, who has been unidentified, multiple industry sources told ESPN Thursday.
The casino commission then halted wagering on all college baseball games involving Alabama, according to an emergency order obtained by CNN. The commission added it will “continue to look into the matter.”
CNN has attempted to reach out to Bohannon but has not heard back.
The casino commission was first alerted about the alleged activity last Friday by independent Las Vegas-based integrity firm US Integrity, according to ESPN. US Integrity works with the Ohio Casino Commission and the Southeastern Conference to monitor the betting markets.
CNN has reached out to US Integrity for comment.
A spokesperson for the NCAA told CNN on Thursday that the NCAA takes “sports wagering very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition.”
The association is “monitoring the situation” but declined to comment further on “current, pending or potential investigations” due to confidentiality rules, the spokesperson added.
On Wednesday night, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference is investigating the situation.
“We are aware of reports related to the suspension of wagering Alabama baseball games,” Sankey said. “We will continue to monitor available information and any regulatory activity.
“As many states have acted to legalize sports gambling, we are reminded of the threats gambling may pose on competitive integrity. Together with our member universities, we will continue to emphasize the importance of regulating, overseeing and providing education related to sports gambling activity.”
In an updated statement Thursday, Sankey said Alabama took “swift action after information about baseball sports wagering activity was questioned by industry regulators.”
On Thursday, Pennsylvania became the third state to order sportsbooks to halt betting on Alabama baseball, joining Ohio and New Jersey as investigations are still ongoing, per ESPN.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board told ESPN the ban on betting on Alabama baseball was put in place “as a matter of precaution” and will last until “further notice.”
CNN has reached out to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
A spokesperson from the New Jersey Attorney General’s office told CNN that the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement instructed sportsbooks to “suspend wagering on all contests involving the University of Alabama baseball team and associated players, including future wagers” on Wednesday out of an “abundance of caution.”
Currently, the New Jersey gaming operators and their independent fraud monitors have not “detected any suspicious wagering” in the state, the spokesperson added.
Ronnie Johns, executive director of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, said he didn’t suspect any wrongdoing on the LSU side of things.
“The problem,” Johns said to NOLA.com, “would have been whether someone on the Alabama side was suspicious of activity.”
CNN has reached out to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.
Bohannon was hired as the Crimson Tide’s head coach in June 2017 and compiled a 166-124 record with one NCAA tournament appearance coming in 2021.
Alabama is 30-15 this season and scheduled to begin a series against No. 5 Vanderbilt on Thursday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Jill Martin contributed to this report.
