Alabama Baseball Avoids Postseason Ban in NCAA Penalty for Gambling Case

Former Alabama Crimson Tide baseball coach Brad Bohannon received a 15-year show-cause penalty.

The Alabama baseball program has received its penalty from the NCAA for gambling infractions involving former coach Brad Bohannon. 

The school will be placed on three years of probation and fined $5,000. But the Crimson Tide will not suffer a postseason ban or a reduction in scholarships, although Alabama players, coaches and athletic administrators must participate in an extensive gambling education program.

However, Bohannon was severely punished for violating NCAA rules on wagering and ethical content by providing insider information to someone betting on Alabama baseball games. The former coach receives a 15-year show-cause penalty, meaning if Bohannon was hired by any school during that span, he would be suspended for the entire baseball season for the first five years of his employment. 

As detailed in a July 2023 story by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, Bohannon shared information via text message with a bettor, Bert Eugene Neff, about scratching pitcher Luke Holman from an April start against No. 1 LSU. Neff then attempted to place a $100,000 wager on LSU to beat Alabama, which raised a red flag for suspicious activity. 

Bohannon texted the bettor: "HAMMER … (pitcher) is out for sure … Lemme know when I can tell LSU… Hurry." pic.twitter.com/WolOtUwIrS

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) February 1, 2024

Alabama’s official report also explains that Neff attempted to show he had legitimate information to justify the wager by showing his messages from Bohannon and saying, “If only you guys knew what I knew.” 

Neff was charged Wednesday with obstructing a grand jury investigation related to the NCAA gambling probe by destroying evidence and giving false statements to authorities. 

Bohannon was further penalized by the NCAA for refusing to cooperate in the infractions investigation. He was fired in May 2023 and replaced by Rob Vaughn, who previously served as the baseball coach at Maryland.