Alabama has fired baseball head coach Brad Bohannon following an ESPN report regarding "suspicious wagering activity" related to the team's games. New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are no longer allowing bettors to place wagers on the Crimson Tide's games while an investigation is ongoing.
According to ESPN's report, the Ohio Casino Control Commission suspended betting on the team's baseball games after U.S. Integrity, which is a Las Vegas independent company, detected some suspicious bets on Friday's Alabama/LSU game. According to NOLA.com, there are a parlay involving Alabama/LSU as well as a "large" straight bet on LSU to win.
Surveillance video from the BetMGM sportsbook at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, where the bets were placed, "indicated" that the bettor was communicating with Bohannon at the time the wagers were placed.
Alabama pitcher Luke Holman was slated to start that contest, but reliever Hagan Banks was told an hour before the game that he would be starting instead.
Shortly after Bohannon was fired, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement saying that the conference has "zero tolerance" when it comes to a sports betting scandal.
"The University of Alabama has taken swift action after information about baseball sports wagering activity was questioned by industry regulators," Sankey said. "Ensuring the integrity of athletic competition is our highest priority, and for that purpose the SEC monitors gambling activity through its relationship with US Integrity and has done so since 2018. There must be zero tolerance for activity that puts into question the integrity of competition. We will remain in communication with the University throughout its ongoing review and will have no further comment at this time."
The NCAA prohibits "participation in sports wagering activities and from providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition,"
"The NCAA takes sports wagering very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition," the NCAA said in a statement to AL.com. "We are aware of this issue and actively gathering additional information."
Alabama stated on Tuesday that the school "became aware of this situation" on Monday and was investigating the matter.
Bohannon and interim head coach Jason Jackson are also being sued by a former player due to alleged mistreatment of an injury.
