Julia StumbaughAugust 26, 2023
James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Big Ten will require its football teams to provide availability reports on 2023 game days, the conference announced Friday.
These reports must be submitted by teams at least two hours before scheduled kickoff. They will be shared on the Big Ten’s website and posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The Big Ten is the first Power 5 conference to “actively distribute” these reports, ESPN’s Blake Baumgartner noted.
LSU, a member of the SEC, became one of the first NCAA football schools to mandate availability reports earlier this month. Unlike in the NFL, NCAA injury reports are currently not standardized.
LSU’s availability reports will designate players as probable, questionable, doubtful or out due to upper body or lower body injuries or to illness, according to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson.
It was not immediately clear what level of specificity will be included in the Big Ten injury reports.
When announcing LSU’s reports, head coach Brian Kelly described the decision as a “proactive” response to the growth of legalized sports betting.
In addition to the newly-required availability reports, the Big Ten also announced a new partnership with US Integrity (USI) to help regulate student and staff participation in sports betting. The conference similarly described that partnership as “proactive.”
The Big 12 announced a similar partnership with USI on Wednesday.
The NCAA considered standardizing injury reports across college football in 2019, following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the federal law prohibiting states from legalizing sports betting. The association ultimately decided that standardized injury reports were “not viable” to implement across the league, per ESPN.
The Big Ten’s decision is a sign that this attitude might be changing. Following recent high-profile violations of sports betting rules, the NCAA updated its gambling policies and could be set for further changes in the future.