It has been several months since Alabama fired its baseball coach Brad Bohannon, but the Ohio Casino Control Commission is still handling the repercussions of the event.
On Wednesday, the OCCC announced it plans to place Brad Bohannon and Bert Neff Jr. on the state’s involuntary self-exclusion list. Bohannon was dismissed from Alabama after information about the team he gave to Neff led to Neff placing a large wager against the team at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
Neff’s wagering also impacted staffers at the University of Cincinnati where his son played baseball. An assistant coach and director of operations for baseball were dismissed for not reporting Neff’s betting activities back to the school.
“When determining whether to include someone or involuntary exclusion lists the commission may consider multiple factors, including if the person’s conduct or reputation calls into question the honesty and integrity of sports gaming operations or interfere with the orderly and strict conduct of sports gaming,” OCCC Executive Director Matthew Schuler explained during Wednesday’s meeting.
“The notices allege that Bert Neff Jr and Brad Bohannon’s presence in a sports gaming facility and their participation in the play of sports gaming poses a threat to the interests of the state of Ohio to achieve the intents and purposes of the sports, gaming control law, and to the strict and effective regulation of sports gaming,” he added.
This is the first time in the post-PASPA era that a coach has been placed on a state’s self-exclusion list for integrity reasons.
Bohannon and Neff have a right to a hearing challenging the decision before the commissioners issue a final order on the matter.
