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Utah football issues statement on Devon Dampier, availability report confusion

Utes didn't list their quarterback on the team's injury report prior to their game against Texas Tech despite Dampier missing two days of practice
Cole Forsman|
Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) looks to pass against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) looks to pass against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham said during his weekly press conference on Monday that Devon Dampier was impacted by an injury during the team's Big 12 opener against Texas Tech, and that his junior quarterback had to miss two days of practice in the week leading up to the Sept. 20 contest at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Those comments stirred confusion amongst Utes fans and the media, given that Dampier was never listed on the team's availability reports prior to kickoff.

On Monday night, the official X account for Utah Athletics posted a statement from Whittingham with his reasoning as to why the team didn't categorize Dampier on its availability reports.

"Quarterback Devon Dampier did not appear on last week's player availability report because while he was limited in practice early in the week, his status of playing in last Saturday's game vs. Texas Tech was never in question," Whittingham's statement read. "We have spoken to the conference and have clarified the guidelines moving forward."

The Big 12's availability report guidelines require teams to accurately indicate a player’s participation status when it's apparent that a player may be unable to participate in an upcoming conference game for any reason (injury, illness, suspension, ineligibility or personal matters). Additionally, the rules state institutions should include a student-athlete on the availability report for transparency if unsure about their playing status.

The Big 12’s policies also state that institutional personnel are required to follow the new rules “in good faith,” and that actions “designed to conceal a student-athlete’s actual participation status for strategic or competitive purposes” are not permitted. Coaches, athletic trainers and sports information personnel are also not allowed to publicly comment on a player’s availability status that “contradict” the availability report.

The Big 12, with approval from all the league’s members, instituted in August that its football teams would be required to submit daily reports three days prior to each conference game, with the option to categorize players as “available," "probable," "questionable," "doubtful" or "out."

Dampier had his most inefficient day as a passer in a Utah uniform in the 34-10 loss to Texas Tech, finishing 25-of-38 through the air for 162 yards and a pair of interceptions while being held to 11 rushes for 27 yards on the ground.

The Big 12 hasn't commented on the matter, though fans and followers of the conference have voiced their opinion on Utah's decision to leave an injured Dampier off its availability report via social media, with some pointing to how other teams around the league have appeared to be more transparent in their reports.

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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