College football will not implement injury reports in during the 2019-20 season because it's "not a viable option at this time," the NCAA Board of Governors announced Wednesday.
The topic was considered due to more than a dozen states legalizing sports gambling. Betting lines and trends could drastically change if teams were required to announce player availability before games.
However, an ad hoc committee on sports wagering, which was created by the Board of Governors in October, found injury reports "would not advance student-athlete well-being nor the integrity of competition."
“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,” Ohio State president and chair of the Board of Governors Michael Drake said in a statement. “The membership has significant concerns about the purpose, parameters, enforcement and effectiveness of a player availability reporting model.”
The NCAA explored the idea of releasing injury reports, similar to the process that exists in the NFL, because there was some concern that legalized sports betting would tempt bettors to interfere with athletes or team personnel in an effort to gain injury information.
But the NCAA follows federal laws that are meant to protect student and patient privacy, and there are concerns athletes' privacy would be violated if injury reports are released.