CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a conference room at the convention center here Monday, several coaches explored one of the hottest topics in the college football world: faking injuries.
In fact, the meeting even featured in-game clips of players (allegedly) falling to the field in the middle of a practice in an effort to, defensively, slow an offense’s momentum and, offensively, better prepare for the next play call.
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At the American Football Coaches Association convention, the nation’s leaders are scrambling to find a solution to a vexing problem.
How can we penalize programs sufficiently to prevent the simulation of injuries?
“Maybe we just need to stop faking injuries,” Florida coach Billy Napier deadpanned, in a subtle attack on those who practice the art.
Alas, it’s not that easy. Coaches, victims of their win-at-all-costs level of competition, need consequences for their actions. They find loopholes and exploit them. What if these gaps were filled?
The coaches committee came out of Monday’s meeting with a plan: Any injured player would be sidelined the rest of the way unless a team used a timeout to reinstate the player. A fine from the head coach – possibly linked to a post-match review process – was also discussed.
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The proposal is still in its early stages. In fact, during Tuesday’s head coaches meeting, this was not discussed. Head coaches voted in favor of changes to the transfer portal. In a unanimous decision, the coaches propose a single 10-day portal window in early January, eliminating the spring window and also condensing the current December portal window.
The coaches’ decision is just a recommendation that will now go to the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, a governing body made up primarily of school and conference administrators. The committee, likely to consider the issue at its February meeting, would then forward it, if approved, to the NCAA Division I Council, a top governing body that filed a similar one-stop proposal earlier this fall.
The future of the Coaches Portal decision is very uncertain.
This also applies to the injury simulation plan. In fact, several SEC head coaches Tuesday are not in favor of a plan that would sideline a player for an entire drive if he were to get injured.
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“Everything’s good until it’s your quarterback,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said.
“I just don’t think we can do that,” Napier added.
Others expressed similar sentiments.
It turns out the fake injury situation has gotten so bad in the SEC that commissioner Greg Sankey, midway through last season, issued a memo to league members fining coaches if their teams were accused of faking injuries.
In the strongly worded memo, Sankey wrote: “Play football and stop the injury faking nonsense. » The league has implemented a penalty structure that includes a fine of $50,000 for the head coach for the first offense, $100,000 for the second and a one-game suspension for the third.
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The proposal discussed here Monday would be even more significant: Any injured player would miss the remainder of this specific training.
“What if the injury was real?” » asked an assistant coach.
“What if the player lasts 10 more listens? » said another.
There are certainly problems with this plan.
But the biggest problem? Faking injuries.
Let’s hear from Napier: why not stop with that? This ruins the game.
