This season one of the crazier storylines we've seen in the SEC is how often players and teams are faking injuries for an advantage. This isn't a new issue as it has gone on for years but, this season it has gotten out of control. The team that has been at the forefront of this trend is Ole Miss as the Rebels have garnered the most attention for how blatant some have been.
Shocking injury for Ole Miss’ RB….if you’re uneasy looking at injuries, do not watch this. Hoping for full recovery.pic.twitter.com/EhvOArWFZg
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 28, 2024
While Lane Kiffin has caught a ton of heat for his team being so blatant in its efforts, he didn't start the trend as he was one of the first coaches to take issue with it.
Lane Kiffin complaining about a fake injury 😆 pic.twitter.com/Kw5sUEfd8T
— We Run the Sip (@OMRebelNation) October 30, 2022
As the SEC has dealt with this issue, Commissioner Greg Sankey finally took action sending a memo out to all fo the programs including the actions they'll take against teams that are faking injuries.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has sent a memo to all SEC coaches and athletic directors, calling on them to stop faking injuries in football.
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) November 1, 2024
The letter was sent on Friday, and includes a monetary fine penalty, along with a head coach suspension pic.twitter.com/QpmPvycPth
The most impactful quote from Greg Sankey who is fed up with the embarrassment is the following:
"Play Football and stop the feigned injury nonsense."Greg Sankey
The Penalties that will be issued are as follows, for the first offense the head coach will be fined $50,000, for the second offense the coach will be fined $100,000, and if it occurs a third time, the Head Coach will be suspended.
The new rule was much needed in the SEC
There has been countless times this season where you've likely seen a fake injury in the game you are watching just so a team can slow the tempo, avoid a delay of game penalty, or to hopefully trigger a replay review. Against LSU, Ole Miss was able to get a call reviewed as a fake injury allowed the refs time to talk about the play. Alabama was caught in a sub with too many men on the field and their defensive back faked one but, the referees didn't let the issue slide. Its about time we got back to playing football but, we'll see if the threat of a fine scares coaches from encouraging it.