Indiana man center of gambling probes involving Alabama, Cincinnati baseball, AP sources say
An Indiana man whose son is a member of the University of Cincinnati baseball team is a bettor at the center of a separate investigation that this month led to the firing of Alabama coach Brad Bohannon and two members of the Bearcats baseball team, two people familiar with the investigation said People The Associated Press on Friday.
The people who identified Bert Neff of Mooresville, Indiana, as connected to the Alabama and Cincinnati cases spoke on condition of anonymity because none of them were authorized to speak about ongoing investigations.
A number listed as Neff’s cell phone didn’t take calls Friday.
Alabama did not provide details as to why Bohannon was fired after five years in office. But the dismissal came three days after a report warning of suspicious bets at a baseball game between LSU and Alabama prompted Ohio’s top gaming regulator to ban licensed sportsbooks in the state from taking bets on the Tide games. Pennsylvania and New Jersey followed suit.
ESPN later reported that surveillance video from the sports book at the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ballpark indicated that the person who placed the bets was communicating with Bohannon at the time. ESPN cited several anonymous sources with direct information about the investigation.
One of those familiar with the investigation told the AP Friday that Neff was the person who placed those bets.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, meanwhile, said the university had received no evidence that any players were involved in the situation. A text message from the AP to Byrne on Friday was not immediately returned.
Alabama is taking part in the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament this week and is well positioned to advance to the NCAA tournament.
Earlier this week, Cincinnati announced that assistant coach Kyle Sprague and head of operations Andy Nagel were relieved of their duties on May 17, about a week after the school opened an investigation into possible NCAA violations.
The school did not provide details on the issues under investigation and said it would not comment further. Voice and text messages to Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham were not immediately returned.
But one of those familiar with the situation told the AP that contact with Neff led to the layoffs. It is not known if Neff wagered on baseball games in Cincinnati.
A third person familiar with the Cincinnati investigation told the AP that there was no evidence that games were being fixed or that Sprague or Nagel had bet on games
Neff’s son Andrew is listed as a pitcher on the Cincinnati roster but has not played this season. The Bearcats’ season ended earlier this week with their elimination from the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
One of those familiar with the situation said Bert Neff was a youth coach in Indiana and has ties to college coaches through recruiting.
Sports Illustrated was the first to report on Neff’s involvement in the Alabama and Cincinnati baseball bats.
The Cincinnati case is the latest college sports gambling scandal this month.
Less than a week after Bohannon’s firing, the University of Iowa said 26 of its athletes in five sports were suspected of betting on sports that violate NCAA rules. Its state rival, Iowa State, admitted about 15 of its athletes in three sports are also suspected of violating gambling rules.
NCAA rules prohibit athletes, coaches, and employees from betting on amateur, collegiate, and professional sports in which the NCAA hosts a championship. The rules are under scrutiny as legalized gambling spreads across the country, and the NCAA announced this week that it plans to conduct an athlete-only survey on the subject.
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