KU coaches offer opinions on providing player-availability reports before games
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Big 12 mandates player availability reports before all league games in 2025-26.
- Reports aim to reduce gamesmanship and improve transparency for all teams.
- Bill Self links change to minimizing gambling-related injury information leaks.
Bill Self approves of a major rule addition for the 2025-26 school year that will require all Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball and football head coaches to provide player availability reports in advance of all league games.
Self, KU’s 23rd-year men’s hoops coach spoke about that and other matters Friday at a back-to-school news conference in Allen Fieldhouse. The 2025-26 school year begins Monday.
“Actually, I think that’s great,” Self said. “The way it has worked in the past — gamesmanship or whatever — ‘Well, he’s not going to play, but let’s don’t let the other team know until warmups,’ or whatever, which to me is ridiculous.
“So I think that will be a positive requirement. I don’t know how it all works. There’s still going to be guys that are game-time decisions, I mean, there are still going to be things like that, but I think that’s actually a good thing,” he stated of the rule.
Here’s how it works, according a news release issued by the league office last week: The mandatory reports will be revealed exclusively at Big12sports.com. For football, players must be listed as “available, probable, questionable, doubtful, or out.”
Basketball designations will include “available, game-time decision, or out,” the league stated in a release.
Big 12 football programs will be required to submit daily reports beginning three days before each game. Men’s and women’s basketball teams will update their availability reports the night before each contest. Approved by all member institutions, a final report will be issued 90 minutes prior to kickoff or tipoff.
“Let’s just call it like it is … why is that important now more than ever? Gambling,” Self said.
Gamblers in the past have been accused of trying to obtain injury information from individuals close to the programs, information that could affect their bets.
“So I don’t know that it actually impacts me and how I’ll go about my business or how another coach will go about his business,” Self said, “but it may impact somebody that is, you know, wants to do something before actual tipoff and know who is actually going to be out there.”
Fifth-year KU football coach Lance Leipold last Thursday responded to a reporter’s question involving player-availability reports.
“You knew it was trending in that direction. (I) kind of want to see how it plays out. We talked about it at our (league) meetings in late May. We knew it was kind of going there. We talked about some different thoughts on when and what categories. I haven’t seen the final one yet of how it’s going to be labeled,” Leipold said.
“We know why it’s being done for the other impact of things that happen in this country and worldwide,” he continued, ostensibly referring to the gambling issue. “So, you know, it’s there. As long as it’s balanced for everyone and where it’s at, I think it’ll work out fine. I think for us when you have that many players I think in building your template, making sure you are doing it accurately. As I’ve tried to use the consequence for not doing it correctly, that’s always going to be a thing.”
Leipold mentioned that in 2023, quarterback Jalon Daniels was hurt 90 minutes before kickoff. He was unavailable that day.
“I use Jalon’s example in Texas a couple years ago. We’re at the hotel and we’re not even 90 minutes from kickoff and I find out he’s not playing,” Leipold said. “You know, where does that fall in those circumstances and how is that evaluated if we said he was available and wasn’t? So that’s the one that is unique to me.”
