SEC commissioner Greg Sankey issued a memo this week to league athletic directors and coaches, urging teams to “play football and stop the feigned injury nonsense,” as confirmed by CBS Sports. The memo outlines a system of penalties for fake injuries, which could result in suspensions for coaches after a third violation.

Sankey emphasized the message clearly: “Stop any and all activity related to faking injuries to create time-outs,” he stated in the memo.

This strong warning from Sankey, a key figure in college sports, addresses what some view as a growing trend of players faking injuries in college football. This tactic has become particularly common among defenses trying to disrupt high-paced offenses.

“When a stoppage is needed, use a team time-out as per NCAA Football Rule 3-3-4,” Sankey wrote. “This is a straightforward principle.”

The memo outlines a tiered punishment system, starting with a public reprimand and a $50,000 fine for the first offense by a head coach. A second offense would lead to another reprimand and a $100,000 fine.

For third violations, the coach of the team involved will face a suspension for the next game.

The national coordinator of football officiating, Steve Shaw, will determine whether a fake injury occurred based on several criteria specified in Sankey’s memo:

“If the National Coordinator concludes that a feigned injury has likely happened, that a player attempted to simulate an injury, or based on any other relevant observations that indicate the possibility of a fake injury.”

Sankey concluded the memo by urging teams to be prepared to compete fairly within the rules of the game.