The Big Ten Conference will require its members schools to submit a player availability report no later than two hours before each football game this season.
The conference announced the rule on Friday, less than week before Minnesota and Nebraska become the Big Ten’s first teams to kick off the season on Thursday in Minneapolis.
In addition, the conference said in a news release that it is teaming with U.S. Integrity “to enhance monitoring efforts and provide additional educational resources to help prevent student-athletes, coaches, and staff from engaging in prohibited sports wagering.”
Over the past few months, football and baseball players at Big Ten program Iowa were among athletes nationwide to have been implicated in betting scandals.
“The well-being of our students, coaches, and staff, as well as the integrity of our competitions are of paramount importance,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said in the release. “Enhanced transparency through availability reporting and partnering with U.S. Integrity strengthens our efforts to protect those who participate in our games as well as the integrity of the games themselves. I’m grateful for the collaboration of our schools, coaches, and administrators.”
During the football season, any Big Ten team that doesn’t report its gameday injury and availability report will be subject to discipline from the conference.
U.S. Integrity partners with a number of pro sports leagues and college conferences to provide protection against fraud and corruption related to betting.
–Field Level Media
