SEC will provide injury reports for the big four sports or face up to a $100,000 fine

Just hours ahead of the start of the 2024 college football season for a few SEC teams, the conference announced that it would require injury reports for the big four sports: football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and baseball.

Similar to injury reports in the NFL or MLB, teams will have to provide statuses on the entirety of their rosters.

The SEC has set up a reporting structure for a player's status. Before game day, teams can label their athletes as:

• Available
• Probably
• Questionable
• Doubtful
• Out

On any team's given game day, they can use the following categories to specify a player's status:

• Available
• Game time decision
• Out

"Southeastern Conference schools will provide public reports on the availability of student-athletes to participate in each Conference game... beginning with the 2024 SEC football season," said Chuck Dunlap, the SEC Director of Communications

“This availability reporting policy is intended to reduce pressure from outside entities seeking participation information and represents a commitment of our 16 institutions to provide enhanced transparency to support efforts to protect our student-athletes and the integrity of competition,” said Greg Sankey, the SEC Commissioner. 

If programs don't adhere to the SEC's new requirements, teams can face up to six-figure fines.

SEC injury report non-compliance fines:

• Football: $25,000-100,000
• MBB and WBB $15,000-25,000
• Baseball: $15,000-25,000

On Thursday, the day that the conference announced the injury report requirements, the Arkansas Razorbacks and the No. 11 Missouri Tigers are both scheduled to play their season openers.

As of 3:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, neither team had produced an official injury report.

Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz had previously provided status updates on a handful of players just days prior to the SEC's announcement.

Thursday evening, Arkansas and Arkansas-Pine Bluff are scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU while Missouri and Murray State are scheduled to kickoff at 8 p.m. ET on SEC Network.