The world of college baseball has been hit by an alleged betting scandal that led to Alabama dismissing its head coach. Over the weekend, gambling regulators in Ohio suspended betting on Alabama baseball games following “suspicious wagering activity” during the Crimson Tide’s game against LSU — while the game took place in Baton Rouge, the bets were placed at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, where BetMGM has a sportsbook. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have likewise halted betting on Alabama baseball.
On Thursday, the school dismissed the program’s manager, Brad Bohannon. While the statement from the university did not specifically say it was due to gambling, it did indicate that Bohannon is under investigation — a report by Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball indicated that no Alabama players are under scrutiny, as the investigation is focused on the team’s now-former coach.
“Alabama director of athletics Greg Byrne announced he has initiated the termination process for head baseball coach Brad Bohannon for, among other things, violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of University employees,” the statement read. “Bohannon has been relieved of all duties and Jason Jackson will serve as the interim head coach. There will be no further comment at this time pending an ongoing review.”
According to Ronnie Johns, the chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, “There were a couple of bets made in Cincinnati, Ohio. One was on a parlay which involved the LSU-Alabama game, and then there was another straight-up (money line) bet. I was told it was a large bet that involved LSU-Alabama.” The Tigers won the game, 8-6. Per ESPN, both of the bets came from “the same unidentified customer,” although there isn’t any indication if it was Bohannon, a person who was affiliated him, or someone else.