The NCAA declined to implement standardized injury reports in college football for the 2019 season as a potential response to the rise of legal sports wagering.
The NCAA Board of Governors made the announcement Wednesday after studying the issue through an ad hoc committee and determining that “player availability reporting is not a viable option at this time.”
While gamblers crave information on injured players, college programs have no obligation to report the nature or status of injuries and potentially can run into problems because of student privacy laws. The NCAA, in its Wednesday announcement, even avoided calling it an “injured list,” similar to how professional sports leagues approach the issue.
–Freshman cornerback Chris Steele was on the field with the Southern Cal Trojans on Tuesday after the NCAA ruled him immediately eligible as a transfer from Florida.
Steele does not have to sit out a season and can play in 2019, coach Clay Helton said. The Trojans are thin in the secondary, and Steele was ranked as high as 11th at cornerback in the 2019 recruiting class.
Steele signed with Florida in January, breaking his commitment to USC after the Trojans posted a 5-7 record in 2018. But the California native did not last long in Gainesville, Fla. His father told the Los Angeles Times that Steele wanted to leave Florida after the university denied his request for a room change following an accusation of sexual battery against his roommate.
–Tennessee’s top returning defensive lineman, Emmit Gooden, will miss the season because of a torn ACL sustained in Tuesday’s practice, coach Jeremy Pruitt said.
Gooden, a senior, made 33 tackles, including seven for loss and a sack, last season in 12 games (one start) after transferring from junior college. The Volunteers, coming off a 5-7 season, were looking to Gooden to help lead a defensive line that lost all three starters from last season and lacks depth.
Gooden has a redshirt year available and plans to return in 2020, Pruitt said.
–The Volunteers are still waiting on word from the NCAA on a request for a transfer waiver for defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, who spent the past two seasons at Michigan and is seeking immediate eligibility.
Solomon, a five-star prospect in the 2017 class, made 24 tackles with the Wolverines, limited last season to five games because of injury.
–Field Level Media
