Alabama fires baseball coach days after ‘suspicious betting activity’

Bet he didn’t see that coming.

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team fired their manager Brad Bohannon on Thursday, just three days after gaming commissions raised questions about suspicious gambling activity on the LSU-Alabama game on April 29.

Bohannon was fired for, “Among other things, violating the standards, duties and responsibilities expected of University employees,” Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne told ESPN.

The alleged suspicious gambling occurred at the BetMGM sportsbook in Great American Ballpark, home of the Cincinnati Reds, the Ohio Casino Control Commission said.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission halted all betting on the Crimson Tide starting Sunday.

On Monday, Alabama was removed from the FanDuel Sportsbook betting product in its entirety, regardless of location.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming followed suit, ending all wagering involving the University of Alabama baseball team and all associated players, including future wagers.

On Tuesday, Zach Ewing of NOLA.com reported that a few big bets came in on LSU, who were -245 favorites against Alabama.

LSU quickly jumped to an 8-1 lead in the game and won 8-6 after the Crimson Tide scored four runs in the ninth.

The size of the wager is not known, but college baseball doesn’t typically get many big-money bets, especially this early in the season, making any significant action stick out.

Alabama is not saying why coach Bohannon was let go, but the timing of the firing certainly raises many questions.

Bohannon is also in the middle of a lawsuit against him and the medical staff for mishandling a rib injury to former player Johnny Blake Bennett.

The pitcher said he consistently complained about arm discomfort during the 2019 season, which Bohannon and the medical staff allegedly called having the “yips” – a common term in baseball for anxiety.

Bennett ended up having thoracic outlet surgery in March of 2020 – the same surgery that derailed the careers of pitchers Matt Harvey and Stephen Strasburg.

After the surgery, the lawsuit claims his scholarship was revoked.

“I am not suing the University of Alabama or AD Greg Byrne. They have policies in place to protect student-athletes. Unfortunately, in my case, the coaches and trainers ignored those policies,” Bennett said.

That lawsuit will now go forward with Bohannon unemployed by the Crimson Tide.