Alabama baseball coach fired amid gambling investigation

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - UPDATE: WBRC spoke with the head of Louisiana’s Gaming Control Board who was alerted by an integrity firm about suspicious betting. Ronnie Johns was told it was a large bet that involved the LSU-Bama game, but he says right now there’s no indication that LSU is caught up in this situation.

“We will wait to see what the Ohio gaming commission comes up with and then we would act accordingly at that time should there be a need for us to do that. I think every state that has sports betting has a big commitment to make to the integrity of the program and to the customers who utilize them,” Johns, Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board said.

University of Alabama Head Baseball Coach Brad Bohannon has been “relieved of all duties,” according to a statement from UA. This comes after the state of Ohio and New Jersey gambling regulators halted betting on Alabama baseball games.

“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.

It went on to say that Jason Jackson will serve as the interim head coach.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey released the following statement:

A spokesperson with NCAA released the following statement:

“The NCAA takes sports wagering very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition. We will work with our partners to protect student-athletes and the sports they play. The Association is monitoring the situation.

Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA does not comment on current, pending or potential investigations.”

This comes just days after ESPN reported that Ohio’s licensed sportsbooks were instructed to halt betting on Crimson Tide games after suspicious wagering activity was detected on ‘Bama’s game against LSU on Friday.

In a statement to WBRC, the Ohio Casino Control Commission said they are “continuing to look into the matter.”

“One was on a parlay which involved the LSU-Alabama game, and then there was another straight-up bet,” Ronnie Johns, Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, told ESPN. “I was told it was a large bet that involved LSU-Alabama.”

On Wednesday, David Payne Purdum, who covers betting for ESPN Chalk, tweeted a statement by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, which said that they had also halted betting on Alabama baseball games.

“On May 3, 2023, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement instructed sportsbooks to suspend wagering on all contests involving the University of Alabama baseball team and associated players, including future wages,” the statement read.

They said the action was taken out of an abundance of caution after the Ohio Casino Control Commission did the same.

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