Former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon and the Crimson Tide were hit with hard sanctions on Thursday concerning a gambling scandal, according to a report from ESPN’s David Purdum via the NCAA’s ethical conduct ruling.
The NCAA has dished out a 15-year show-cause penalty for Bohannon, who must also be suspended for “100% of the baseball regular season for the first five seasons of his employment” by any NCAA institution that employs him.
Alabama was also hit with a $5,000 fine, three years of probation, and must retain a firm “to provide comprehensive gambling education to student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators.”
The crux of the situation lies with a gambling scandal that occurred in April 2023. Bohannon, the head coach of Alabama’s baseball team, is guilty of knowingly and willingly providing key information to a person intent on gambling against the Tide during a conference rivalry game last season.
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The NCAA’s investigation uncovered that Bohannon relayed that a key student-athlete (later revealed to be a pitcher) would be out for the game, prompting the bettor to gamble against the Tide. The game in question was between Alabama and LSU in Baton Rouge, which the Tigers won by a score of 8-6.
Bohannon was fired from Alabama just six days after the game took place.
Bert Eugene Neff, the individual identified as the recipient of Bohannon’s inside information, was looked to place a $100,000 bet against the Tide. BetMGM, a popular avenue for sports gambling, only allowed a wager of up to $15,000. Neff pleaded guilty on Wednesday to “federal obstruction charges related to the investigation into the Alabama-LSU baseball game.”
Alabama named former Maryland head coach Rob Vaughn their new skipper on June 12. Vaughn and the Crimson Tide will host head coach Tony Vitello and the Vols for a three-game series in Tuscaloosa from Mar. 15 to Mar. 17 this season.
