NCAA confirms rule changes meant to counter players faking injuries in football games

Image courtesy of NCAA

The NCAA confirmed rule changes to combat players faking injuries.

Under the new rule approved Wednesday by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, if medical personnel enter the field to evaluate an injured player after the ball is spotted by the officiating crew for the next play, that player’s team will be charged with a timeout. If the team doesn’t have timeouts remaining, a 5-yard delay-of-game penalty will be assessed.

The move is meant to stop teams form faking injuries to stop their opponent’s momentum or avoid using a timeout.