By R.L. Bynum
ACC programs will face new protocols aimed at increasing transparency as sports gambling becomes more prominent and safety across football, baseball and men’s and women’s basketball.
League commissioner Jim Phillips announced Wednesday at the annual Commissioner’s Forum during ACC Kickoff in Charlotte that all football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball programs will be required to submit player availability reports before games.
“This decision is directly connected to our ongoing commitment to best protect our student-athletes and our multi-faceted approach to addressing the effects of sports wagering,” said Phillips, who added that the reports will be publicly available on acc.com.
“In this case, it would alleviate pressure from entities or individuals who are involved in sports wagering that attempt to obtain inside information about availability from players, coaches, and other staff,” Phillips said.
This won’t be entirely unfamiliar territory for football coaches. From 2008 to 2017, ACC coaches voluntarily provided injury reports under a “gentleman’s agreement,” according to longtime columnist David Teel. That practice ended amid hopes for a national standard — one that never materialized.
Coaches, particularly football coaches, are often wary of sharing too much information, but Phillips said the decision met with no resistance.
“Coaches are hard to change, but when we told them that we were doing it, no one said anything on the call,” Phillips said. “Every coach has to do what they have to do in order to get their team ready, and there’s always gamesmanship. That’s been around for a hundred years, and it’s going to continue, but it’s the right thing.”
Phillips said that the league hasn’t decided what fines will be if schools don’t comply.
“Schools will have to identify who that person is going to be [to submit the report]. For football, it will be two days before, the day before and then two hours before kick,” Phillips said. “For basketball and for baseball, it will be one day before and then two hours before tip-off or first pitch.”
In addition to the player availability policy, Phillips announced a strict penalty structure for field or court stormings that happen before all visiting team players, coaches and referees have exited the playing area.
Schools are required to continue developing event security plans, which will include an independent third-party review to ensure that only participants, coaches, officials and authorized personnel are allowed in the competition area before, during and at the conclusion of any game.
“The plan may allow spectators to access the competition area following a contest, but only after the visiting team and officials have safely exited the area,” Phillips said.
The first offense will draw a $50,000 fine, a second will lead to a $100,000 fine and the third a $200,000 fine.
“I remember an incident with Caitlin Clark at Iowa State, [Duke center Kyle] Filipowski at Wake Forest,” Phillips said. “I’m not picking on Wake Forest, but you’re asking me about moments where student-athletes really are getting pushed and bumped and tripped and then the rest.
“This past year, when I saw it early on in the year, especially a couple of the league games, but then noticing across the country some of the activity that were going on. So, that really spurred this idea of safety,” Phillips said.
The goal, Phillips said, is to protect players, coaches and fans by reducing potential safety risks during postgame celebrations.
The SEC has had a strict prohibition on court and field stormings for years, and the league will fine schools $500,000 per incident during the next school year.
Photo courtesy of the ACC
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