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Posted on: May 29, 2023, 03:38h.
Last updated on: May 29, 2023, 03:38h.
The gambler whose suspicious bets on college baseball led directly to the firing of the University of Alabama’s head baseball coach, Brad Bohannon, has been named.
Multiple Associated Press and Sports Illustrated sources say the man at the center of an alleged betting conspiracy involving Bohannon is Bert Eugene Neff Jr., of Mooresville, Ind.
Neff is the father of Andrew Neff, a pitcher on the Cincinnati Bearcats’ baseball roster. Elder Neff is himself a former college pitcher who represented Louisville and Indiana in the 1990s. He has since been a coach and administrator for various Indiana youth baseball teams, according to Sports Illustrated.
‘Direct Link’ with Bohannon
Neff is alleged to have placed a large bet, or bets, on Alabama to lose to LSU on April 28 at the sportsbook in the Great American Ballpark, home to the Cincinnati Reds. Neff is believed to have been in direct communication with Bohannon at the time the betting activity occurred, according to sources who spoke to ESPN.
This was revealed after investigators with the Ohio Gaming Commission reviewed security video at the sports book, the sources claimed. Regulators launched an investigation after receiving information about suspicious betting patterns from Las Vegas-based sports integrity company US Integrity.
LSU ran out an 8-6 winner in the game. Alabama’s star pitcher, Luke Holman, was ruled out at the last minute because of back tightness. This would have been valuable insider knowledge to anyone betting on the outcome.
Two University of Cincinnati athletics staffers, assistant coach Kyle Sprague and operations director Andy Nagle, were fired from their positions May 17, allegedly for having knowledge of Neff’s gambling activity and not reporting it to school administrators, according to Sports Illustrated. It is unclear whether Neff has also placed bets on Cincinnati games.
NCCA Violations in Iowa
Meanwhile, on May 9, both the University of Iowa and Iowa State notified the NCCA of multiple suspected violations of sports betting rules by their athletes.
Iowa said more than two dozen athletes across five sports – baseball, basketball, football, track and field, and wrestling – were suspected of placing bets on sports, against NCCA regulations.
Iowa State said 15 of its athletes across three sports — football, wrestling, and track and field — also are suspected of violating gambling rules.
The infractions are not believed to be related to the Neff investigation and there is no evidence of match fixing. The NCCA prohibits athletes, coaches, and athletic staff from betting on sports, whether it’s legal in the state or not.
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