ACC commissioner Jim Phillips announces player availability reports, tightens rules on field/court storming

The ACC is following the lead of the Big Ten and SEC by mandating player availability reports in football, basketball and baseball, commissioner Jim Phillips announced Tuesday at ACC media days in Charlotte. Schools are required to publicly disclose which players will be unavailable for each conference game. In football, teams must submit reports two days before kickoff, with updates the day prior and again on gameday. All reports will be posted on TheACC.com.

For context, the Big Ten requires injury reports only two hours before kickoff, while the SEC mandates reports three days in advance.

"This decision is directly connected to our ongoing commitment to best protect our student-athletes," Phillips said. "And our multi-faceted approach to addressing the effects of sports wagering. 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. Safety has always been taken seriously by this league, and I applaud our schools for further enhancing and formalizing these important measures."

This marks the league's first formal policy on injury reporting, though not its first attempt. From 2008 to 2017, ACC football coaches voluntarily shared weekly injury updates ahead of league games, a practice that was later discontinued in anticipation of a national policy that never came.

In addition to introducing player availability reports, the ACC is also cracking down on field and court storming with new safety protocols and potential fines.

"Our conference has elevated its expectations around court and field safety," Phillips said, noting schools must now submit third-party-reviewed event security plans and ensure teams and officials have a clear path off the field.

"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 with the elevated safety expectations," Phillips said. "There's critical importance to ensure that adequate time for all members of the visiting team to safely leave the field of play. In addition to these elevated expectations, there is a corresponding fine structure in place, should a school have a breach in this new policy."

Phillips said the first offense will result in a $50,000 fine. The second will be $100,000 and the third $200,000, with all money going to the conference's postgrad scholarship fund. The timeline for those fines will reset every two years.

The SEC, meanwhile, recently set a flat $500,000 penalty for rushing the field or court after a game, doing away with its previous escalating fine system, which was $100,000 for a first offense, $250,000 for a second and $500,000 for any subsequent violations. The SEC also now has the authority to waive fines if the visiting team and officials can safely return to their locker rooms before fans enter the playing area.