MAC adopts player availability report for football games, joining Big Ten
(AP) — The Mid-American Conference will require teams to provide player availability reports to the league at least three hours before football games this season, following a similar policy implemented last year by the Big Ten.
The league announced the new policy Thursday, saying the Council of Directors of Athletics approved it in July. Availability reports are part of efforts in college athletics to safeguard the integrity of games amid the growth of legalized gambling.
The availability reports from all 12 teams will be made available on the MAC website and posted on the X social media platform. Teams that don’t comply could face disciplinary action. The league said the process and accuracy of the information will be evaluated throughout the season.
The Big Ten started requiring its teams to provide availability reports to the league office no more than two hours before kickoff last season.
The Big Ten is the only power conference with a league-wide availability report, though the Atlantic Coast Conference tried a loosely run midweek injury report several years ago and the Southeastern Conference is considering mandating it.
“We continue to advance the student-athlete availability reporting policy, but it has not been finalized,” SEC spokesman Herb Vincent told The Associated Press. “The policy has been updated and is subject to further review. We will announce a final decision when it is complete.”
Vincent said the pre-game availability reports would only apply to SEC games.
The NCAA prohibits athletes from gambling, even legally, on any sports the association sponsors. College sports was hit with multiple gambling-related scandals in 2023, including in the Big Ten.
In 2022, the MAC signed a deal with sports data and technology company Genius Sports for an array of services, including an integrity program that among other things monitors betting for problems.