Alabama Baseball Coach Brad Bohannon Fired amid Halted Betting on Games

The University of Alabama has fired head baseball coach Brad Bohannon amid an investigation into gambling activity on a recent game against LSU.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced the school has "initiated the termination process" for Bohannon for "violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of University employees."

Per ESPN's David Purdum, Ohio Casino Control Commission executive director Matthew T. Schuler "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."

Purdum also reported that "sportsbook surveillance video indicated that the person who placed the bets was communicating with Bohannon."

Ronnie Johns, chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, told Zach Ewing of NOLA.com the state received an alert of suspicious betting activity on Friday's game between the two SEC teams made in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"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 said.

According to Johns, there was "definitely no suspicious activity on the part of LSU" because both bets came in on the Tigers to win the game.

"You don't typically suspect the team that was picked to win the game," he explained. "The problem would have been whether someone on the Alabama side was suspicious of activity."

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey announced on Wednesday night the conference was aware of the reports about the suspicious betting activity involving Alabama and was monitoring "available information and any regulatory activity."

Jessica Franks, director of communications for the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), told Purdum the bets were made at the BetMGM sportsbook located at Great American Ballpark.

LSU held on for an 8-6 win over Alabama on Friday after leading by seven runs entering the eighth inning. Purdum noted the Tigers were -245 favorites to win going into the game.

The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in the country, swept the weekend series over their SEC rivals.

Bohannon was in his sixth season as Alabama head coach. He had a 166-124 record with one NCAA tournament appearance in 2021.