SEC institutes injury report for conference games
After discussions that started at spring meetings in Destin, Florida and carried on throughout the summer, the SEC is officially going to a mandated injury report for football, basketball and baseball.
The report is for conference games only. According to the release from the Southeastern Conference football injury reports will be submitted starting on Wednesday before Saturday kickoffs and they will be updated daily with the final update coming 90 minutes prior to game time.
Under the reporting structure, prior to game day, student-athletes will be designated as “available,” “probable,” “questionable,” “doubtful,” or “out” for their next game. To provide additional clarity on game day, student-athletes will be designated as “available,” “game time decision,” or “out” for the upcoming game.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the report is designed to reduce pressure from media seeing information and to protect the integrity of competition.
“This availability reporting policy is intended to reduce pressure from outside entities seeking participation information and represents a commitment of our 16 institutions to provide enhanced transparency to support efforts to protect our student-athletes and the integrity of competition,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
In the sports of basketball and baseball, reports will be filed the night before each SEC contest with an update on game day.
A failure to report injuries accurately and on time will result in fines ranging from $25,000 for a first offense to $100,000 for a third and further offenses in football, and a maximum of $15,000 to $25,000 in men’s and women’s basketball and baseball.
Football school availability reports which are only for SEC games will be posted on the SEC’s website at SECsports.com/FBreports.
