Gary Cosby Jr. / Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK
Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon was given a 15-year show-cause penalty for dumbest gambling scandal ever.
In the latest stupid gambling infraction, former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon and the Alabama baseball program has been given a massive penalty for Bohannon giving out insider information in order to place a bet on the Apr. 28 game between Alabama and LSU.
The NCAA handed Bohannon a 15-year show cause penalty, with a five-year suspension if he gets hired in between that time. In addition, the University of Alabama baseball program has to serve a three-year probation and pay a $5K fine. Alabama is considered a repeat violator, but the uniqueness of this case made it stand alone, per The Athletic’s Chris Vannini.
NCAA penalties around Alabama baseball:
– 15-year show-cause penalty for Bohannon, 5-year suspension if hired during that time
– 3 years probation
– $5k fine
Could’ve been a lifetime ban. Alabama also considered repeat violator, but uniqueness of case kept from harsh penalties. pic.twitter.com/xK7rHxGVeY
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) February 1, 2024
What is the “uniqueness” of this case, you might ask? Well this is simply the dumbest case of illegal sports gambling the college sports world has ever seen.
Bohannon was allegedly sending text messages to Bert Neff (who was charged yesterday with tampering with witnesses, destroying evidence and lying to the FBI) about roster updates and who would and wouldn’t play in the Alabama-LSU game. It was so brazen that Bohannon didn’t even hide it:
With this information, Neff went to the BetMGM Sportsbook in Cincinnati to place a $100,000 bet on LSU beating Alabama on Apr. 28.
You read that right.
A $100K bet.
On a college baseball game.
That happened on a Friday.
So incredibly smart.
Naturally, the sportsbook immediately thought that was questionable, and only limited him to placing a $15,000 bet. Neff would try placing bets on other things surrounding the game, but the sportsbook flagged it for being suspicious activity.
Well, that and telling the sportsbook “if only you guys knew what I knew” in addition to SHOWING THE SPORTSBOOK THE TEXT MESSAGES BETWEEN HE AND BOHANNON.
This might be the dumbest partner-in-crime of all time. Between blowing up the spot because you can’t keep your mouth shut, in addition to showing the sportsbook incriminating evidence, Neff will go down in history as the dumbest illegal sports gambler of all time.
Bohannon is probably never coaching again, and it all could’ve been much simpler if he didn’t give out that information.
