The father of University of Cincinnati baseball player Bert Eugene Neff placed the bets that triggered the firing of former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon, as well as the firing of two members of UC staff, The Tuscaloosa News confirmed with a source close to the situation.
Bohannon was fired on May 4, less than a week after an investigation revealed Bohannon was on the phone with Neff as he placed big bets on Alabama to lose to LSU on April 28 at the Great American Ballpark. Sportsbook in Cincinnati. Alabama’s top pitcher, Luke Holman, was then stripped of a starting assignment, reportedly due to a back problem, and the Tigers won the game, 8-6.
The Tuscaloosa News reached out to Neff via Facebook asking for comment, but did not receive a response Friday.
Asked Wednesday how he was feeling before the start, Holman said his back was indeed bothering him that night. Nevertheless, UA relieved Bohannon of his coaching duties on May 4 and decided to dismiss him for cause. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said the investigation is continuing May 10.
“Whenever you encounter difficulties, you get the information you can, you deal with it in the most appropriate way possible with the information you have at the time,” Byrne said on May 10.
Byrne said there was no information indicating student-athletes were involved in the game.
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The punter’s identity was first reported by Sports Illustrated, which also cited sources as saying gambling regulators had also reported suspicious bets on gambling in Neff’s home state, l ‘Indiana.
A spokesperson for the Indiana Gaming Commission confirmed to the Tuscaloosa News earlier in May that it has also suspended betting on Alabama baseball. In addition to Ohio and Indiana, other states have confirmed that they have suspended betting on the Crimson Tide, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kansas, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
Along with the Alabama and Cincinnati cases, the NCAA will also investigate potential game violations in Iowa and Iowa State, where a combined 41 athletes have been suspended.
Cincinnati assistant coach Kyle Sprague and fellow staff member Andy Nagle were also fired following Neff’s bet against Alabama for knowing about Neff’s gambling activity, per SI. Neff’s son, Andrew, plays at UC.
Alabama has changed its season under interim coach Jason Jackson and is expected to earn NCAA Regional Tournament host status. The Crimson Tide won two of its first three games in the SEC tournament and won 10 of its first 13 games under Jackson.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23 and the Talkin’ Tide podcast. Contact him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow @chasegoodbread on Twitter. Contact Nick Kelly at nkelly@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Identity of punter who triggered UA baseball coach’s firing revealed