Despite thorough discussions, the NCAA will not enforce standardized player injury reports this football season.
That decision was announced earlier this week after the NCAA’s Board of Governors met in Indianapolis. Standardized player availability reports were considered following the legalization of sports gambling back in 2018.
“The ad hoc committee gathered thorough feedback from conference commissioners, athletics administrators, athletic trainers and student-athletes across all three divisions about potential player availability reporting,” Board of Governors chair Michael Drake said after the group’s meeting in Indianapolis. “The membership has significant concerns about the purpose, parameters, enforcement and effectiveness of a player availability reporting model.”
The NCAA considering such a measure at this stage could be seen as an indication that injury reports will be required at some point in the future. Professional leagues such as the NFL and NBA have long had mandatory injury reports during the season.
Until colleges are comfortable releasing detailed and reliable injury reports, bettors will have to rely on potentially-questionable intel that comes from message boards and other various rumor mills.
Since the Supreme Court struck down a federal law banning sports betting last March, nine states have legalized sports gambling: Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Arkansas and New York.
According to ESPN, nine more states are close to legalizing sports betting.
College football’s season gets underway later this month with Miami battling Florida on Aug. 24.