Fired Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon 'connected with betting activity' amid gambling probe, per report

Hours after Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon, The Athletic is reporting that Bohannon’s firing was indeed related to a potential Alabama baseball betting scandal that is under investigation by the program.

David Ubben and Andy Staples of The Athletic report that Bohannon “was found to be connected with betting activity” that regulators had flagged.

Alabama had not directly linked the Bohannon firing to the betting investigation in its statement released Thursday announcing the firing, noting instead that Bohannon had been fired for violating the standards, duties and responsibilities of university employees, among other reasons.

The situation began unfolding late last week when an independent integrity firm alerted the Ohio Casino Control Commission that there were two suspicious bets on the Alabama-LSU game on Friday night.

The “suspicious wagering activity” took place at the BetMGM sportsbookk at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio, and multiple states began to halt bets on Alabama baseball games, according to ESPN.

According to Ronnie Johns, the chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, via a report from NOLA.com, two bets were under scrutiny, including one large bet.

“There were a couple of bets made in Cincinnati, Ohio,” Johns said. “One was on a parlay which involved the LSU-Alabama game, and then there was another straight-up (money line) bet, I was told it was a large bet that involved LSU-Alabama.”

Johns confirmed the bets were on the Tigers to win, leading him to believe the suspicious activity didn’t come from the LSU side.

“That in itself indicates that there’s definitely no suspicious activity on the part of LSU,” Johns said. “You don’t typically suspect the team that was picked to win the game. The problem would have been whether someone on the Alabama side was suspicious of activity.”

Both the SEC commission Greg Sankey and Alabama released public statements about the baseball betting investigation, with Sankey outlining concerns about competitive integrity.

“We are aware of reports related to the suspension of wagering on 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 to 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.”

Alabama was in the midst of a fairly successful campaign, one of the most productive of Bohannon’s six-year stint with the Crimson Tide.

The team is currently 30-15 overall and was fighting for positioning in the SEC standings.

Brad Bohannon compiled a 166-124 overall record, while notching a 48-91 SEC mark. Alabama never had a season above .500 in SEC play under his watch.

Alabama is scheduled to host a three-game SEC series against Vanderbilt starting on Thursday night, with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. ET with a broadcast on ESPNU.

Jason Jackson will serve as the team’s interim coach.