An Indiana man has been charged in connection with the University of Alabama baseball betting scandal that rocked the university last year.
Bert Neff, a youth baseball coach and businessman, was charged with destroying evidence, tampering with witnesses and providing false statements to authorities in an alleged inside information offense involving an April game between the Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers, according to a report from ESPN.
The scandal led to the firing of Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon in May after the allegations surfaced, with the university stating he violated “the standards, duties and responsibilities expected of university employees.”
According to The Athletic, prosecutors in the Northern District of Alabama allege that Neff received text messages from someone identified as “Individual 1” — who was employed by the school’s baseball team — in documents telling him that the Crimson Tide’s star starting pitcher would be out with an injury the next day.
A press release from the NCAA on Thursday states that Bohannon texted “an individual he knew to be engaged in sports betting activities” that his pitcher “is out for sure … Lemme know when I can tell [LSU] … Hurry.”
Neff then forwarded that message to four unidentified sports bettors who put money on LSU to win the game.
After learning of the injury, Neff allegedly texted one of the gamblers that the bet was “a 10000000000% winner.”
The individual named in the NCAA press release, presumed to be Neff, also “attempted to place a $100,000 wager on the Alabama game, but sportsbook staff limited him to a $15,000 wager and declined his attempts to place additional bets due to suspicious activity.”
Alabama lost the game, 8-6.
Neff allegedly replaced his cell phone on the day Bohannon was fired.
He also admitted to placing a wager on the game himself and advised the four bettors not to comply with a grand jury subpoena, among other witness tampering accusations, per The Athletic.