Alabama baseball coach fired amid gambling investigation

Feb 18, 2023; Bessemer, AL, USA; Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon looks into the stands before the Crimson Tide faced Richmond in the season-opening series. Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News/USA TODAY NETWORK

Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon has been fired amid an investigation into what Ohio gambling regulators labeled “suspicious wagering activity.”

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced on Thursday that the school is in the process of terminating Bohannon. The decision comes three days after ESPN’s David Purdum reported that the Ohio Casino Control Commission instructed the state’s licensed sportsbooks to halt betting on games involving Alabama due to suspicious activity.

Byrne said in a statement that Bohannon has been fired for “among other things, violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of University employees.” Byrne said the school will not comment further because there is still an ongoing review.

Purdum reported on Tuesday that the bets in question were related to last Friday’s game between Alabama and LSU. Sophomore Luke Holman was scheduled to start for the Crimson Tide in that game, but Hagan Banks started in his place. Alabama’s game recap said Banks was informed “an hour before” first pitch that he was starting. Holman was experiencing back tightness.

The bets in question were placed at the BetMGM sportsbook at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. The Reds were on a West Coast road trip playing the Oakland A’s at the time. Both wagers included LSU beating Alabama.

LSU defeated Alabama 8-6.

NCAA rules prohibit “participation in sports wagering activities and from providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition,” according to AL.com.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement on Tuesday that the conference is aware of the situation and looking into it.

Bohannon had been the head coach at Alabama since 2018. He finishes with a record of 166-24.