MARLER: College Football’s fake injury issue faces possible rule change

By Chris Marler

The last few seasons have brought about widespread changes across the landscape of college football. It’s left the fans, media, and people who love the sport clamoring for change. 

The moment the NCAA found out it would no longer be the sole beneficiary of the college athletes making money off their name, image, and likeness, it seemingly took its ball and went home. It left the sport facing a myriad of issues: NIL, the transfer portal, revenue sharing, expanded playoffs, etc. 

None of those will be fixed overnight. One thing that can be fixed overnight is the integrity of the game on the field. Specifically, what can be fixed are the fake injuries and stoppages of time that have become nothing short of rampant in the sport. 

Last year alone, Ole Miss had more than 30 stoppages of time due to player injuries in their first six games. It was, by far, the most of any school in the country. It wasn’t just Ole Miss that was guilty, either. There were several teams in the SEC who were constantly guilty of the same offense.

Recently, Shane Beamer spoke up about the issue with On3. 

“There’s no question that it’s a bad look for everyone involved,” Beamer said. “Look, there were some absolutely embarrassing, blatant faking of injuries that we saw this season. And it’s not what’s best for the game. There’s no question about it. The teams don’t want to see it. The fans don’t want to see it.”

That last sentence is the most important one. 

Fans are tired of this. And if one thing is certain, nearly every significant change has been made without them in mind.

The good news is that there could be changes coming soon. The NCAA Football Rules Committee is set to meet this February in Indianapolis. The proposed rule change for these injuries would require a player to sit the rest of the series if they are responsible for an on-field injury that results in a stoppage of play. If the proposal passes, it will need to be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel in April. From there, it could go into effect as early as next season. 

That would be a significant step in the right direction, and for the first time in quite awhile it would be something for the consumer. Sorry, fans.