Narduzzi-disclosing injuries creates gambling

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – LSU, and former Notre Dame, head coach Brian Kelly has decided to be more transparent with injury reports in an attempt to be proactive to the rise of legalized sports betting. Would Pat Narduzzi do the same at Pitt?

Kelly is concerned gamblers hound his football staff for information. You could imagine gamblers approaching the lessor paid, really any, staff members, managers, trainers, even players for inside information. If they would know a quarterback isn’t playing, for example, there is the opportunity to win a lot of money.

Narduzzi said they used to have a policy where they would disclose injuries, but he believes the opposite of Kelly. The Pitt head coach is notorious for calling out questions from reporters referring to injuries. He will only confirm an injury for a player lost for the season.

“I think it creates gambling,” Narduzzi said of a potential injury report. “I think when you sit there and say who’s playing and who’s not. I think it creates more. When you have policies like that, you are trying to help out the gambling because you want to make sure everybody is accurate.”

As part of their team meeting before training camp began, one of the messages from Narduzzi was about gambling. Brought to the forefront because of issues at Iowa State, Narduzzi said they’ve warned players about it every year since he arrived in 2015. He remembers the scandals with Art Schlichter at Ohio State and even what’s happened to Pete Rose.

“We talk about gambling and what people are trying to get out of you,” Narduzzi said. “We don’t give that stuff up (injury news). We don’t talk about it. It’s an advantage to our opponents. We got a great team policy, we don’t talk about it. We try to keep those gamblers away. I don’t think we have that problem.”

Rookie standouts

Narduzzi did give a couple of names of new players who have stood out in the first couple of days of practice.

Receiver Zion Fowler-El didn’t leave high school early and wasn’t at Spring practice, but has impressed. The 6’1” New Jersey native had offers from Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Duke, Louisville.

Defensively it’s Steel Valley grad Cruce Brookins. The defensive back wasn’t at Spring ball either, but was able to come down and lift with the team since he was close to campus. A 6’2”, 180 pounds Brookins had looks from West Virginia, Syracuse and Cincinnati among others.