CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Monday, in a conference room at the convention center here, several coaches explored one of the hottest of hot-button topics in the world of college football: faking injuries.
In fact, the meeting even featured in-game clips of players (allegedly) dropping to the field in the middle of a drive in an effort, defensively, to slow an offense’s momentum and, offensively, to better gather the next play-call.
As part of the American Football Coaches Association convention, leaders here are adamant in finding a solution to a vexing issue.
How do you penalize programs enough to prevent the feigning of injuries?
“Maybe we just need to stop faking injuries,” deadpanned Florida coach Billy Napier, in a subtle jab at those who practice this art.
Alas, it is not so easy. Coaches, victims of their win-at-all-cost competition levels, need consequences for their actions. They find loopholes and they exploit them. But what if those loopholes were closed?
The committee of coaches emerged from Monday’s meeting with a plan: Any injured player would be sidelined the rest of the drive unless a team used a timeout to reinstate the player. A head coach fine — possibly tethered to a post-game review process — was discussed as well.
The proposal is in its very early stages. In fact, at Tuesday’s head coaches meeting, it was not discussed. Head coaches did vote for changes to the transfer portal. In a unanimous decision, the coaches are proposing a 10-day, singular portal window in early January, eliminating the spring window and condensing the current December portal window, too.
The coaches’ decision is only a recommendation that will now go before the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, a rule-making body made up mostly of school and conference administrators. The committee, likely to examine the issue during its February meeting, would then, if approved, pass it to the NCAA Division I Council, a higher governing body that tabled a similar, one-portal window proposal earlier this fall.
The future of the coaches’ portal decision is very much uncertain.
That goes too for the feigning injury plan. In fact, several SEC head coaches on Tuesday are not in support of a plan that sidelines a player for an entire drive if they were to get injured.
“It’s all fine until it’s your quarterback,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said.
“I just don’t think we can do that,” Napier added.
Others expressed similar feelings.
As it turns out, the feigning injury situation grew so serious in the SEC that commissioner Greg Sankey, in the middle of last season, issued a memo to league members that fined coaches if their teams were charged with feigning injuries.
In the strongly worded memo, Sankey wrote, “Play football and stop the feigned injury nonsense.” The league implemented a penalty structure that includes a $50,000 head coach fine for the first offense, $100,000 for the second and a one-game suspension for the third.
The proposal discussed on Monday here would be even more significant — any injured player missing the rest of that specific drive.
“What if the injury is real?” one assistant coach asked.
“What if the drive lasts 10 plays longer?” another said.
There are problems with this plan, for sure.
But the bigger problem? Faking injuries.
Let’s listen to Napier: Why don’t we all just stop with it — it’s ruining the game.
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