Indiana Man Charged in NCAA Baseball Gambling Investigation
In a new development, an individual connected with an NCAA baseball gambling investigation that involves the Alabama program was charged with obstructing a federal grand jury investigation in Alabama, it was announced Wednesday.
Bert Eugene Neff, of Indiana, will reportedly plead guilty to one count of obstruction of justice. Neff, 49, faces a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment, as well as three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Neff is the man who appeared at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati in April 2023 and attempted to place a large bet on eventual national champion LSU to beat Alabama on the diamond that night. This set off a sequence of events which began with a number of states' sportsbooks ceasing to accept wagers on Crimson Tide baseball.
The former college baseball player was reported to have been communicating with former Crimson Tide head coach Brad Bohannon, who was fired on May 4 of last year, that day. The obstruction charge stems from attempted interference over the course of several months by Neff into the investigation surrounding the suspicious wagering. These actions include (but are not limited to) destroying his cell phone and encouraging others to do the same.
Bohannon's firing took place less than one week after the game in question, wherein the Crimson Tide lost on the road at LSU. Neff's purported activities also ended up causing problems at Cincinnati, where his son pitched last season. Two Bearcat staffers were let go last year, and contact with Neff was reportedly why, though an investigation into the program did not find sports wagering violations related to college baseball.
