Ole Miss Having To Send Out A Statement About Faking Injuries The Night Before LSU Game Speaks Volumes

It's not common for a football program to release a statement the night before a nationally televised game discussing the perceived faking of injuries during their games, but Ole Miss decided enough complaining was going on that it warranted comment from the department. 

There has been a lot of chatter over the past few years about teams using ‘feigned injuries’ to slow down an opposing team on offense, or using it as an ability for a quick timeout during a drive. This tactic of perceived ‘faking’ injuries has picked up more frequently over the last few years, especially with the uptempo offenses that certain teams are running. 

But, there's a difference between having a legitimate injury scare, and taking a dive to slow down a series, or use it to benefit your team if you find yourself in a predicament on the field. 

One of those teams that has come to the forefront of this discussion has been the Ole Miss Rebels, led by head coach Lane Kiffin. The influx of videos on social media has turned this into a running joke around college football, and the ways in which players are hitting the ground in ‘distress’ have some questioning the integrity of the game. 

It's almost impossible to tell if a player is truly hurt, or looking for some type of advantage by going down on the field. But, some of the instances we've seen this season have forced schools that have played Ole Miss to send in numerous videos to the SEC, along with the National Coordinator for Football Officiating. 

Sources tell OutKick that there has been an influx of videos sent to the conference and national level over the past five weeks of football that are directed towards Ole Miss, and the perceived faking of injuries. Additionally, we are told that it has gotten so bad, compared to years past, that the instances are being sent to the national office, not just the SEC, on a weekly basis. 

The increase in fake injury complaints, specifically with Ole Miss, has picked up quite a bit this season. 

"It's worth 3-4 more timeouts per game," multiple SEC coaches told OutKick on Friday night. 

Two sources told OutKick that a few non-conference opponents had also questioned the legitimacy of certain ‘injuries’ enough that they felt it was only right to send their own videos, with different angles, to their own conference officials, which were then passed along to the national level. 

Also, for a school to send out a statement on a Friday night at 6:10 p.m. ET that it has been in communication with national coordinator of football officiating says a lot about the current situation, and how much officials are looking into Ole Miss for these incidents. 

"Feigned injuries has become a notable topic in college football, and we realize our program has been part of that discussion," Ole Miss football said in a statement. "We have been in communication with the National Coordinator for Football Officiating and provided relevant medical information for his review to answer questions about recent injuries. We have also updated the SEC office, and our head coach will communicate with our coaches and players to ensure we conduct ourselves properly and are compliant in this matter."

From OutKick writer Barrett Sallee

Ole Miss is clearly at the forefront of this scandal, writes Sallee, but there have been plenty of other instances of teams faking injuries to slow games down.

It’s almost impossible to completely eradicate fake injuries because it would require officials to serve as pseudo-doctors on the field when they are far from qualified to do so. If officials are asked to, it would open a door for lawyers to get involved in a variety of different ways including potential lost wages, slander/libel, etc. After all, we all know that billable hours are always undefeated. It’s clear that the rule that specifies that an injured player must sit out for at least one play is not working the way that it was intended. Everything is on the table in terms of how to alter the rule, sources told Outkick.

For now, we are left with vague statements and behind-the-scenes discussion about fake snipers targeting players during football games.

Shane Beamer Offered His Prayers For Injured Players Last Week

The most recent opponent for Ole Miss was South Carolina, where the Rebels won on the road last weekend. 

Following the game, Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer was asked about the timing of these injuries, and what his take on the situation was, without calling any player or situation out by name. 

It's also important to note that Ole Miss is not the only school doing this, obviously. In recent years, it felt as though Tennessee players were dropping like flies on extra-point attempts, which also became a running joke of Josh Heupel looking for a few extra minutes for his defense to rest after scoring so quickly. 

And while this situation will always be hard to prove, the tape doesn't lie, and we have certainly seen a lot more of this out of Ole Miss over the last few years, and certainly this season. 

The only solution is holding a player out for the next series or for a number of plays, for the sake of their potential injury on the field. 

It will be interesting to see how much further this goes, and what it looks like on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, as Ole Miss plays LSU in ‘Death Valley’.