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Gambling in college baseball made major headlines in the 2023 season, leading to a number of firings at major programs. Much of that damage came in connection to one man, who might just be the dumbest gambler alive.
Youth-league coach Bert Neff Jr. had connections to both the Alabama and Cincinnati baseball teams. That relationship eventually led to Brad Bohannon’s dismissal in Tuscaloosa, as well as a pair of Bearcats staff members.
Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated broke down the link between Neff and these college baseball programs on Monday. The story of how Neff unintentionally took down these coaches is stunning.
Brad Bohannon was fired in May after being connected to suspicious betting activity at a Cincinnati sportsbook. Reports linked him to a large bet being placed on a game between the Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers.
Further details soon emerged, saying Bohannon was texting a colleague about that wager, which was being placed on the Tigers.
Forde confirmed that the man was none other than Bert Neff, who had been communicating directly with the Alabama head coach via an encrypted messaging app.
After learning that the Tide were scratching their starting pitcher just before the game, Neff attempted to place a $100K bet on LSU. Not only did that potential wager far exceed the house limit for college baseball, but it came on a contest that had gotten “virtually no action.”
Making things worse, Neff allegedly told the sportsbook that he had inside information on the game. Those claims were confirmed when video surveillance zoomed in on his cell phone, showing that he had, in fact, been communicating with Bohannon.
I mean, use just a little discretion if you’re looking to job the house out of a six-figure payout. Even more recklessly, Neff had associates attempt to place similar bets at sportsbooks in Indiana.
The activity immediately raised eyebrows, and it ultimately led to Bohannon’s demise in Tuscaloosa.
But Neff’s destruction wouldn’t stop there.
Alabama baseball not the only program affected by Neff’s gambling.
His son is a pitcher at the University of Cincinnati, and while he’s not linked to any wrongdoing, a pair of Bearcats staffers are. Kyle Sprague and Andy Nagel were relieved of their duties in mid-May.
While their exact offense is not clear, two people familiar with situation say that they were aware of Neff’s gambling activities. The two staff members failed to report the activity to school administration.
It’s not yet known whether the staffers, or Neff, placed bets on Cincinnati baseball games as investigations are ongoing, but just the connection to the idiotic gambler was enough to cause issue.
Fans were quick to comment on the wild story on social media.
One person wrote, “Wild that anyone would think they could bet six figures on a regular season college baseball game.”
Another said, “Mind boggling that anyone in Bohannon’s position would even split a lottery ticket with Neff, much less pass along insider information.”
This fan asked, “Throwing $500,000 jobs away like it’s nothing… all for what?”
— Jonathan Blue (@JonBlueFC) July 10, 2023
Those that knew Neff aren’t surprised by what’s unfolded. “He was a total clown,” one of his acquaintances said based on his short stint as a college pitcher at Louisville. “If Bert had his head on straight, he could have pitched professionally, but he squandered that. Bert was a piece of work.”
Another source said, “[Neff] was into the recruiting circles full time… He was a slick talker, used-car guy. Him being tied to this does not shock me.”
Almost mind-blowingly, a third school is actually tied to Neff’s gambling. Xavier, also based in Cincinnati, is the subject of an NCAA investigation according to a pair of Sports Illustrated sources. The school has neither confirmed nor denied.