Ole Miss addresses fake injury claims with new statement
Oct 15, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin walks off the field during a timeout during the first quarter of the game against the Auburn Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
The Ole Miss Rebels have been accused of faking injuries so many times this season that the program felt the need to issue a statement about the matter.
The abrupt statement, released Friday evening, acknowledged that Ole Miss has been part of an ongoing discussion about “feigned injuries.” The statement said the school has cooperated with the National Coordinator for Football Officiating regarding questions about faked injuries. Ole Miss did not exactly deny that players have been involved in the practice this season.
Ole Miss sent out a statement about “feigned injuries.” pic.twitter.com/n6V4l4fUgT
— David Ubben (@davidubben) October 11, 2024
“Feigned injuries has become a notable topic in college football, and we realize our program has been part of that discussion,” the statement read. “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.”
It’s an unusual statement to release, in part because it more or less acknowledges that Ole Miss has been frequently accused of faking injury to slow down games. Running back Matt Jones went viral for what appeared to be a particularly blatant instance of it two weeks ago, though it was noted at the time that there is nothing explicitly illegal about the practice.
Ole Miss has a big trip to LSU coming up on Saturday evening. One wonders if they will be under a bit of a microscope because of chatter about this.
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