University of Alabama head baseball coach Brad Bohannon was fired for, “among other things, violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of University employees,” the school announced Thursday.
Bohannon’s dismissal follows “alleged suspicious activity” last Friday at the sportsbook at The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio, according to an ESPN report that cites the Ohio Casino Commission.
The casino commission is investigating alleged suspicious wagering on the Crimson Tide’s April 28 game against the Louisiana State University Tigers, ESPN reported, citing unnamed industry sources.
No. 1 LSU beat Alabama 8-6 in that game.
No direct link between Bohannon’s firing and the suspicious bets have been announced. Jason Jackson will serve as the Alabama’s interim head coach, the school said.
Per ESPN, the state casino commission’s investigation is centered around multiple bets on the Tigers to win from the same customer, who has been unidentified, multiple industry sources told ESPN Thursday.
The casino commission was first alerted about the alleged activity last Friday by independent Las Vegas-based integrity firm US Integrity, according to ESPN. US Integrity works with the Ohio Casino Commission and the Southeastern Conference to monitor the betting markets.
The association is “monitoring the situation” but declined to comment further on “current, pending or potential investigations” due to confidentiality rules, the spokesperson added.
On Wednesday night, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference is investigating the situation.
“We are aware of reports related to the suspension of wagering Alabama baseball games,” Sankey said. “We will continue to monitor available information and any regulatory activity.
“As many states have acted to legalize sports gambling, we are reminded of the threats gambling may pose on competitive integrity. Together with our member universities, we will continue to emphasize the importance of regulating, overseeing and providing education related to sports gambling activity.”
In an updated statement Thursday, Sankey said Alabama took “swift action after information about baseball sports wagering activity was questioned by industry regulators.”
On Thursday, Pennsylvania became the third state to order sportsbooks to halt betting on Alabama baseball, joining Ohio and New Jersey as investigations are still ongoing, per ESPN.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board told ESPN the ban on betting on Alabama baseball was put in place “as a matter of precaution” and will last until “further notice.”
Currently, the New Jersey gaming operators and their independent fraud monitors have not “detected any suspicious wagering” in the state, the spokesperson added.
Ronnie Johns, executive director of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, said he didn’t suspect any wrongdoing on the LSU side of things.
“The problem,” Johns said to NOLA.com, “would have been whether someone on the Alabama side was suspicious of activity.”
Bohannon was hired as the Crimson Tide’s head coach in June 2017 and compiled a 166-124 record with one NCAA tournament appearance coming in 2021.
Alabama is 30-15 this season and scheduled to begin a series against No. 5 Vanderbilt on Thursday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.