Bert Neff, an Indiana youth baseball coach, has been sentenced to eight months in prison for his involvement in an insider betting scandal that led to the dismissal of University of Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon.
In March, Neff pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice charges, which included destroying evidence, tampering with witnesses, and providing false statements to the FBI. These charges stemmed from a federal investigation into irregularities surrounding a Southeastern Conference game between Alabama and LSU on April 28, 2023.
Alabama fired Bohannon in May after reports of suspicious betting activity related to the game surfaced. Bohannon was subsequently handed a de facto life ban from the NCAA for leaking information to Neff about an injury to Alabama pitcher Luke Holman, which ruled him out of the game. This information would have been invaluable to a gambler betting on the game, which LSU won 8-6.
Bohannon had been Alabama’s coach since 2018, with an annual salary of $500,000. It is unclear why he shared the information or whether he expected to benefit from Neff’s activities.
Ineptitude Exposes Conspiracy
The conspiracy might have remained hidden were it not for Neff’s conspicuous ineptitude. Shortly before the game, Neff attempted to place a $100,000 bet on LSU at the sportsbook at Ohio’s Great American Ballpark, home to the Cincinnati Reds. This raised suspicions due to the minimal betting traffic on the game and the bet exceeding the sportsbook’s limit on NCAA games.
Neff showed staff messages from Bohannon about Holman’s injury, including one that read, “Holman is out for sure … lemme know when I can tell LSU … Hurry,” according to court filings.
Extensive Deception
Neff also placed a bet on the game with a competing sportsbook and shared the information with at least four other gamblers, according to federal court documents.
“The defendant destroyed evidence, tampered with witnesses, and provided false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” noted a federal prosecutor.
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