Big Ten will require teams to issue injury report before football games
Big Ten football teams must issue injury or "availability" reports before games this season, the conference announced Friday night.
Teams will be required to submit such reports to the league office on game day, and that information will then be released at least two hours before kickoff at the conference's website and X (formerly Twitter) account.
With sports gambling now legal in 34 states, the Big Ten is taking steps to prevent gamblers from seeking and capitalizing on inside information. In addition to the status report, the Big Ten has partnered with U.S. Integrity to enhance monitoring efforts and provide additional education to help prevent student-athletes, coaches, and staff from participating in prohibited sports wagering.
More: How Ohio State has ramped up Ryan Day's football support staff to compete for titles
“The well-being of our students, coaches, and staff, as well as the integrity of our competitions, are of paramount importance,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said in a statement. “Enhanced transparency through availability reporting and partnering with U.S. Integrity strengthens our efforts to protect those who participate in our games as well as the integrity of the games themselves. I’m grateful for the collaboration of our schools, coaches, and administrators.”
Under Ohio State coach Ryan Day, OSU has typically released a status report a couple of hours before kickoff listing players that were unavailable or considered gameday decisions. Now those reports will be mandatory.
If the Big Ten determines a team has violated the new reporting rules, that team will be subject to disciplinary action under the league's sportsmanship policy.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Big Ten to require teams to issue injury report before football games
