“Play ball!” or “Place bet?” College baseball finally has closure on a recent sports betting scandal.
Bert Neff of Indiana was sentenced this week to eight months in prison and three years of supervised release for the role he played in the 2023 Alabama vs LSU sports betting scandal. Besides the gambling charges, Neff also pled guilty to obstruction of justice, destroying evidence, tampering with witnesses and providing false statements to the FBI.
According to the now-released court documents, Neff placed a $100,000 bet on LSU to win against Alabama during their April 28, 2023 game. Neff made this bet after receiving communications from Alabama’s head coach about a lineup change that had not been told to anyone else yet. Neff then shared this information with fellow gamblers and placed his bet.
The starting pitcher for Alabama was scratched from the game, and LSU won the game 8-6. Neff got his payout. Alabama’s head coach also benefitted.
Neff’s partner in crime, former head Alabama baseball coach, Brad Bohannon, was fired in May 2023 for his involvement in the betting scandal. While Bohannon won’t face prison time like Neff, his career as a collegiate baseball coach is effectively over. The NCAA brought down the hammer on Bohannon, penalizing him with a 15-year show cause. If any college team attempts to hire Bohannon, he will have an immediate 5-season suspension.
According to ESPN, during Neff’s charging, Edward Canter, assistant U.S. attorney said, “Bert Eugene Neff is a professional gambler. Faced with a federal grand jury investigation, he worked to game the system. The defendant destroyed evidence, tampered with witnesses, and provided false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He did not do this once. He did it on dozens of occasions, and he did so for the greater part of a year.”
Both Neff and Bohannon have been placed on Ohio’s list of prohibited bettors, as the original bet was placed from Cincinnati.
