Canzano: Will Bo go vs. Utah? Somebody knows.
The big question among Ducks fans this week is whether or not Bo Nix will suit up for Oregon in their matchup against Utah on Saturday. After suffering an injury against Washington last week, the entire situation is being shrouded in secrecy. Out own John Canzano is frustrated with the whole thing:
Lanning isn’t alone in keeping injuries a secret. Whittingham isn’t alone in refusing to trust what anyone outside his circle says. Few college head coaches willingly share injury information. The process is far murkier than the transparency of the NFL, which mandates that teams make injuries known.
Are you tired of the secrecy?
I am.
This injury “game” hurts fans more than it helps the teams. It impacts those wagering on the outcomes and harms fans who buy tickets to see their favorite players. I also wonder how much a surprise scratch impacts the quality of first-quarter play in the college game vs. the NFL.
Would the Pac-12 consider adding injury reports to their protocol? Not so fast:
No other college football conference has an injury report. Would the Pac-12 want to be the first to adopt one?
I asked.
The league didn’t offer an official answer. But one source said the Pac-12 is “discussing the matter to see if there’s a path forward.” There are student-privacy laws to consider, I’m told. But that feels like a raging excuse given the breadth of information the public receives about athletes.
The source also said that any time the implementation of a league-wide injury report gets brought up, the Pac-12 can’t get consensus from its football coaches.
Read the full column here.