re: Former Baseball Coach Brad Bohannon

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The potential violations centered around the parent of a player, Bert Neff. Neff was the bettor who triggered an investigation into Alabama baseball, which led to its head coach, Brad Bohannon, being fired. Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde was the first to report about Neff's connection. The allegations are Neff was in communication with Bohannon who placed money on LSU on April 28 when Alabama's ace Luke Holman was scratched.

The potential violations with the UC coaches involve having knowledge of Neff's activity. Neither Nagel nor Sprague are accused of betting on UC baseball.

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Chase Goodbread@ChaseGoodbread
Former UA baseball coach Brad Bohannon’s house in Tuscaloosa now on the market for a cool $1 mil

10:40 AM · Jun 6, 2023

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Three people familiar with the investigation told Sports Illustrated that Neff wanted to bet more than $100,000 on a college baseball game that night: Alabama at No. 1 LSU. The game had gotten virtually no gambling traffic, and Neff’s desired bets on the Tigers far exceeded the sportsbook’s established house limit on college baseball. It was a foolhardy act that created a surreal scene, and the ripple effects from that incident continue to be felt more than a month later.

Fueled by hubris and, perhaps, desperation, Neff – an obscure youth-league coach from Mooresville, Ind., with a penchant for networking in recruiting circles—stood at the window and pleaded his case for making the huge wager to the book’s staff, the sources say. He indicated that he had inside information on the game—and he did, in the palm of his hand.

Neff was texting with Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon via the encrypted messaging app Signal while at the betting window, attempting to place the wager, the sources say. His texting was indiscreet, to the point that the book’s video surveillance cameras were able to zoom in on the details of Neff and Bohannon’s text exchange, making Bohannon’s name visible later in screenshots.

“[Video cameras] can see the [text] conversation back-and-forth,” a source familiar with the incident says. “It couldn’t have been any more reckless.”

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Former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon will be banned from Ohio sportsbooks after he took part in an alleged inside scheme to bet on Crimson Tide baseball games using inside information, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) said in a public meeting this week.

Bohannon will be able to appeal the decision within 30 days of receiving a letter from the commission.

OCCC executive director Matt Schuler said Bohannon gave non-public information about his team on April 28 to Indiana businessman Bert Neff Jr., who also faces a ban from Ohio sportsbooks for his involvement in the operation. Neff used the information he obtained “for the purpose of placing a sports wager” and went on to share the intel with one or more individuals.

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Former Alabama baseball head coach Brad Bohannon violated NCAA wagering and ethical conduct rules when he knowingly provided insider information to an individual he knew to be engaged in betting on an Alabama baseball game, according to an agreement released by a Division I Committee on Infractions hearing panel. After he was fired by Alabama, Bohannon failed to participate in the enforcement investigation, in further violation of NCAA rules.

The school and enforcement staff agreed that the violations in this case occurred when Bohannon communicated — via an encrypted messaging app — with an individual he knew to be engaged in sports betting activities and provided insider information about the starting lineup before notifying the opposing team. Specifically, Bohannon texted, "(Student-athlete) is out for sure … Lemme know when I can tell (the opposing team) … Hurry."

Shortly after the bettor received that information, he attempted to place a $100,000 wager on the Alabama game, but sportsbook staff limited him to a $15,000 wager and declined his attempts to place additional bets due to suspicious activity.

"Integrity of games is of the utmost importance to NCAA members, and the panel is deeply troubled by Bohannon's unethical behavior," said Vince Nicastro, deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the Big East and chief hearing officer for the panel. "Coaches, student-athletes and administrators have access to information deemed valuable to those involved in betting. Improperly sharing that information for purposes of sports betting cuts to the heart of the honesty and sportsmanship we expect of our members and is particularly egregious when shared by those who have the ability to influence the outcome of games."

The school and enforcement staff also agreed that following his separation from the school, Bohannon failed to meet his obligation to cooperate with an NCAA investigation when he did not participate in an interview, did not disclose relevant information and did not provide access to electronic devices to further the enforcement staff's investigation.

This case was processed through the negotiated resolution process. The process was used instead of a formal hearing or summary disposition because the university and enforcement staff agreed on the violations and the penalties. The Division I Committee on Infractions reviewed the case to determine whether the resolution was in the best interests of the Association and whether the agreed-upon penalties were reasonable. Negotiated resolutions may not be appealed and do not set case precedent for other infractions cases.

The parties used ranges identified by the Division I membership-approved infractions penalty guidelines to agree upon Level I-mitigated penalties for the university and Level I-aggravated penalties for Bohannon. The decision contains the full list of penalties as approved by the Committee on Infractions, including:

Three years of probation.
A $5,000 fine.
A 15-year show-cause order for Bohannon. During the show-cause order, any employing member institution shall restrict Bohannon from any athletically related position. If Bohannon becomes employed during the show-cause period, he shall be suspended for 100% of the baseball regular season for the first five seasons of his employment.
Alabama will retain EPIC Global Solutions to provide a comprehensive gambling harm and student-athlete protection education program for student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators.
Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from the NCAA membership and members of the public. In addition to Nicastro, the members of the panel who reviewed this case are Jeremy Jordan, dean of the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse, and Stephen Madva, attorney in private practice.

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