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More details have emerged in the Alabama betting scandal that’s sent shockwaves through the college baseball world. Fired head coach Brad Bohannon was reportedly on the phone with a sports bettor at the time of placement.
The bet, which was apparently sizable, was actually made against the Crimson Tide before a Friday night matchup with LSU. After jumping out to an 8-1 lead, the Tigers would win the game, 8-6.
The first report in this saga came on Monday stating that sportsbooks in Ohio had removed all Alabama Crimson Tide action from play. “Suspicious activity” was at the root of the cause, raising the eyebrows of many around the betting scene.
Ohio gambling regulators on Monday instructed the state’s licensed sportsbooks to halt betting on college baseball games involving Alabama after suspicious wagering activity was detected on the Crimson Tide’s game against top-ranked LSU on Friday.
The emergency order was in response to a report from an independent integrity monitor. On Friday, U.S. Integrity, a Las Vegas-based firm that monitors the betting markets, issued an alert to its sportsbook clients regarding “suspicious wagering activity” involving the Alabama-LSU game.
While the news was a bit concerning, no one connected to the Alabama baseball team was considered to be linked to the betting scandal at that time.
That is, until Thursday.
Earlier this morning, the Crimson Tide fired head coach Brad Bohannon. That dismissal further intrigued college baseball fans, though details of what led to the firing were still unknown.
Now, we have a clearer picture.
ESPN’s David Purdum broke the news in a Twitter post that showed Bohannon’s involvement in the scandal.
Sportsbook surveillance video indicated that the person who placed the bets was communicating with Bohannon at the time, multiple sources with direct information about the investigation told ESPN.
Purdum says that the Alabama head coach was in communication with someone that placed a large bet against the Tide in a sportsbook at Great American Ballpark.
College baseball insider Ben Upton confirmed those reports in a tweet of his own.
Some quotes I got from my sources:“Phone records were searched (which led to instant firing)”“A lot of money was bet”“Not the only time it’s happened”
Many speculate that he’d tipped the bettor off on a late pitching scratch as the Friday night starter was listed as unavailable about an hour before first pitch.
Now, there’s a lot to unfold, here.
Was this bet placed on Bohannon’s behalf through a third party? Was he simply giving out inside information to a friend or colleague?
Upton’s insinuation that it wasn’t Bohannon’s first offense would lead you to believe the former.
Things in Tuscaloosa continue to go downhill. This latest betting scandal is just the latest in a long list of issues within the Alabama athletic department.
We’ll see if there’s any more fallout from this situation. No players are though to be connected to the scandal.