In a move that takes college sports even closer to their professional counterparts, it was announced today by the SEC that injury reports are going to be required by teams in both football and basketball.
Every Wednesday for football, three days before each game, each program will have to submit an updated injury report that is for public consumption. For basketball and baseball, the reports have to be in by the night before the game and updated each game day.
“When you start to see the number of dollars being bet on legalized sports gambling around college sports, not just football, but men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and baseball and softball, all those catch your attention,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said on the possibility of injury reports last month. “We have to be thoughtful about how information is managed.”
While it is a big change, it’s not a completely foreign concept. The NFL has had a similar rule in place for many years, meanwhile the Big 10 conference adapted the change last season.
While it will make it harder for coaches to shroud who is going to be on the field, ultimately the free flow of information will be beneficial to programs and fans.
According to the conference, penalties for inaccurate or late reports in football will range from fines of $25,000 to $100,000 on a case by case basis.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
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