The Ole Miss Rebels and their head coach, Lane Kiffin, have been at the center of the fake injuries controversy this season. Several TV broadcast clips of their game have been referred to in order to call out the team regarding faking injuries to get an advantage. But leading up to the Rebels’s matchup against Arkansas, it was revealed that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a message to league athletic directors and coaches that stated “play football and stop the feigned injury nonsense.”

His message was loud and clear: if teams continue to simulate injuries, they will face penalties. In line with this, the head coach of Texas, Steve Sarkisian, joined the ongoing conversation about the penalty.

Josh Newman, a Texas insider, shared Steve Sarkisian’s statements on the SEC cracking down on fake injuries. “Naturally, I think the integrity of the game of football is important to hold in high regard. Said his team has not felt it as much from the opposition, so didn’t have a ton to offer on it.”

Although Texas has not experienced this issue significantly from its opponents, Sarkisian’s short comment holds a deep message. According to Sankey’s new message, the rules about faking injuries will depend on the judgment of the officials. For the first time, a team caught red-handed will receive a public warning and a $50,000 fine. If the situation repeats for the second time, there will be another warning, the fine will increase up to $100,000 and the HC will be reprimanded.

But if the same thing happens for the third time, the head coach will be suspended for one game and the fine will be raised to $150,000. Further, other staff members who were also involved would also receive a suspension for a third violation. Sankey’s message also stated that players could receive public reprimands if they were found to be a part of the violation.

Sankey’s email further also stated, “Creating injury time-outs in these circumstances is not acceptable and is disrespectful to the game of college football.”

After all, faking injuries is a tactic that has been used in college football for years. It has helped to get a timeout or stop the momentum, but it seems like that will no longer be an option. This also means that Lane Kiffin and the players need to be more careful. But what did the HC have to say about the penalty introduced?

Lane Kiffin’s surprising reaction to SEC memo on fake injuries

Lane Kiffin celebrated a strong victory against Arkansas 63-31 on Saturday. This season, Kiffin has seen ups and downs, and a victory was needed to show that they are still in the game. QB Jaxson Drat and the backup Jordon Watkins showed some impressive game plays by connecting for five touchdowns. However, what had everybody’s attention was head coach Kiffin’s post-game comments on SEC Commissioner Sankey’s memo.

His response was quite shocking as he mentioned, “I’m glad. We’re a tempo offense. It happens to us. It happened last week. It may surprise you but I was very happy.”

Well, the opponents will look at Kiffin’s comments and say ‘interesting’. A habitual offender complaining about the things he’s most accused of doing? Well, well, well, we are in for interesting times with this memo!

Things have not gone in Kiffin’s favor this season so far. The Rebels had a strong start with four back-to-back victories, and after losing to LSU, Kiffin and his squad have bounced back stronger. Now that Kiffin has shown support for SEC’s efforts to address the serious issue, it will be interesting to see how they continue and which team will be the first to pay the fine.