Report: NCAA 'gathering additional information' following report of Ohio betting halt on Alabama baseball

The NCAA is “gathering additional information” in light of an ESPN report about an Ohio betting halt on Alabama baseball, according to a statement sent to AL.com. ESPN published the report Monday regarding “suspicious” betting activity during the Crimson Tide’s game against LSU on Friday.

According to a message obtained by ESPN, Ohio Casino Control Commission executive director Matthew T. Schuler said “the acceptance of any wagers on University of Alabama baseball effective immediately” due to “suspicious wagering activity” at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. Alabama trailed LSU 8-1 in the eighth inning of Friday’s game before losing 8-6.

In a statement to AL.com, the NCAA said it is “actively gathering additional information” about the situation.

“The NCAA takes sports wagering very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition,” the statement read. “We are aware of this issue and actively gathering additional information.”

Since Alabama was playing LSU, Louisiana also received an alert about suspicious activity, according to NOLA.com. Chairman Ronnie Johns said since bets were placed in Cincinnati, they raised some red flags.

“There were a couple of bets made in Cincinnati, Ohio,” Johns said. “One was on a parlay which involved the LSU-Alabama game, and then there was another straight-up (money line) bet, I was told it was a large bet that involved LSU-Alabama.”

LSU was about a -245 favorite to win the game, according to ESPN, and Johns confirmed the bets were on the Tigers to win. That’s why he doesn’t think the suspicious activity came from the LSU side.

“That in itself indicates that there’s definitely no suspicious activity on the part of LSU,” Johns said. “You don’t typically suspect the team that was picked to win the game. The problem would have been whether someone on the Alabama side was suspicious of activity.”

Per NCAA rules, “participation in sports wagering activities and from providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition.”

Heading into the eighth inning of Friday’s game, LSU held an 8-1 lead before Alabama scored five runs over the final two innings, including four in the top of the ninth inning.

LSU pitcher Griffin Herring allowed five runs on six hits and two walks in 2.2 innings pitched. Bryce Collins then came in to close it out, allowing a hit and striking out the final batter of the inning.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.