Alabama fires baseball coach days after Ohio halts bets on Crimson Tide games
See an earlier report on Ohio stopping betting on Alabama baseball games in the player above.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WCMH) -- Days after Ohio regulators halted gambling on the University of Alabama baseball team, the coach was fired on Thursday.
Brad Bohannon was let go after a sports wagering integrity monitor alerted the Ohio Casino Control Commission about suspicious activity in bets on the team's games.
"Alabama director of athletics Greg Byrne announced he has initiated the termination process for head baseball coach Brad Bohannon for, among other things, violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of University employees," the university athletics department said in a statement sent to NBC4. "Bohannon has been relieved of all duties and Jason Jackson will serve as the interim head coach. There will be no further comment at this time pending an ongoing review.”
The Monday order from the OCCC came after the Crimson Tide's weekend series against LSU. The Tigers swept the Tide, winning 8-6 on Friday, 12-8 on Saturday and 13-11 on Sunday.
Ohio wasn't the only team to receive the report on suspicious gambling activity. Louisiana's Gaming Control Board told NOLA.com that while it would not limit betting in response, it was aware of two bets in question made in Cincinnati. One was a parlay on the Friday night LSU-Alabama game, and the other was a "large," straight-up money-line bet.
The Cincinnati bets were placed on BetMGM at Great American Ball Park during a time when the Reds were playing out of town. Before the first pitch in the LSU-Alabama game, starting pitcher Luke Holman was benched and reliever Hagan Banks was told he would start instead, AL.com reported.
Some betting platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel only allow users to wager on the outright outcome of college baseball games. Others including BetMGM and bet365 sportsbooks do offer bets on total runs and margin of victory for college baseball games, as well as the ability to place wagers during the game.