AP
8/26/23
The Big Ten says it will require its football teams to provide an availability report of its players to the conference office no more than two hours before their games kick off. The move is part of the league’s efforts to safeguard the integrity of games with legalized gambling becoming pervasive.
No other Power Five conference has a league-wide availability report. College sports has been hit with multiple gambling related scandals this year, including at Iowa where athletes in multiple sports are facing NCAA discipline for online gambling on sporting events.
Availability reports are similar to NFL injury reports, but not nearly as detailed. Schools will be required to submit what players are available to play to the conference office, which will then distribute the information online and post it on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Schools will not be required to give reasons why a player is unavailable.
The league said schools that do not comply with the reporting policy will be subject to disciplinary action.
The conference said it will work with schools to evaluate the reporting process and accuracy of the information and refine protocol if needed.