CINCINNATI — The Ohio Casino Control Commission has proposed a lifetime sports-betting ban for former University of Alabama Baseball Coach Brad Bohannon and Bert Neff Jr., who allegedly placed wagers at Great American Ball Park in April using “non-public information” he got from Bohannon.
Neff Jr., of Mooresville, Indiana, placed bets for Alabama to lose to LSU on April 28th after receiving information from Bohannon, according to the Associated Press.
According to the university, Alabama starting pitcher Luke Holman was a late scratch that day. The Tide did lose the game.
Bohannon was fired after the suspicious betting activity was reported.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement that the conference has been monitoring gambling activity through the firm U.S. Integrity since 2018.
"There must be zero tolerance for activity that puts into question the integrity of competition," Sankey said. "We will remain in communication with the university through its ongoing review and will have no further comment at this time."
Before his tenure at Alabama, Bohannon worked as an assistant at Auburn for one year and as an assistant at the University of Kentucky for more than 10 seasons. In his last season at UK, Bohannon was named the ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year.
The gaming regulator sent notices of the proposed penalty to both men on Tuesday. They’ll have 30 days to challenge their placement on Ohio’s involuntary exclusion list.
The commission released the following statement:
“The Commission has initiated the process of adding Brad Bohannon and Bert Neff, Jr. to Ohio’s Sports Gaming Involuntary Exclusion List, as their presence and/or participation in sports gaming poses a threat to the interests of the state and the effective regulation of sports gaming. This process is governed by Ohio Revised Code 3772.031 and Ohio Revised Code Chapter 119. Messrs. Bohannon and Neff are entitled to due process, including a hearing if they choose, and any final action pertaining to the Sports Gaming Involuntary Exclusion List will occur at a public Commission Meeting.”
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