Availability reports now mandatory in the SEC
By: Anthony Dasher - UGASports.comAvailability reports on student-athletes is now an official rule in the Southeastern Conference.
Thursday, the SEC announced that it will provide public reports on the availability of student-athletes to participate in each Conference game in football, men’s basket, women’s basketball, and baseball, beginning with the 2024 SEC football season.
The league’s 16 athletic directors voted to confirm the new rule last week.
“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.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was asked about the new rule during a post-practice interview on Tuesday.
“I’m great with it as long as we're all doing it. I have no issue with it,” Smart said. “Ron (Courson) is going to be in charge of it for me. I don't look at it – because I think they're going to tie fines and things to it and all that. I just want to say, ‘Can the guy play or not?’ And if it's a game-time decision and he goes out there and works out that he can't, then he can't.”
Per the policy, schools will be required to submit availability reports three days before each conference football game (beginning on Wednesday in advance of a Saturday football game) with daily updates leading to a final report 90 minutes before game time.
In the sports of basketball and baseball, reports will be filed the night before each SEC contest with an update on game day.
Per the reporting structure, before 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.
“And I think everybody's trying to make this big deal about deception or like misleading. I mean, if I don't know if a guy can play, then I've got to find out before the game. If he can play, then he's going to go out there and play,” Smart said. “But, I mean, we've had countless numbers of guys that have gone out before the game to work out to find out if they can play or not. We'll abide by the rules they give us.
"It's the same as the NFL's. So, they've done it for years and if it keeps the pressure off of our kids from people reaching out to them, trying to get information from betting sites and trying to gain information, there is no gain if you've got accurate information. So, it protects our kids. I'm for it.”
Football school availability reports will be posted on the SEC’s website at SECsports.com/FBreports.
Failure to provide accurate and timely availability reports will subject schools to potential penalties 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.
