The Southeastern Conference has fined Texas A&M football $50,000 for violating the NCAA’s policy on faking injuries in a contest.
According to a Tuesday, Oct. 21 news release, the National Coordinator of Football Officiating reviewed game video from the Aggies’ 45-42 win over Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 18 and deemed the Aggies to have violated the NCAA’s playing rule governing feigned injuries.
The penalty in question came at the 12:55 mark of the fourth quarter after Texas A&M defensive back Tyreek Chappell went down ‘to the ground, creating the appearance of an injury’ after the Arkansas offense had snapped the ball. Video showed that a Texas A&M staff member was seen ‘signaling demonstratively’ at Chappell to the ground and that Chappell was not involved in any contact during the play. He returned to the game two plays later.
The National Coordinator for Football Officiating determined that the action by Chappell and the instruction of the staff member, was ‘a clear attempt to gain an unmerited advantage by stopping the game to be awarded an injury timeout.’
‘We respect the SEC’s decision and understand the importance of upholding the integrity of the game. While we accept the ruling, we do not agree with the decision and want to be clear that we never coach or instruct our players to feign injury,’ Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said in a statement. ‘Texas A&M football remains firmly committed to the highest standards of sportsmanship, competitiveness, and integrity.
‘We’ll use this as an opportunity to review our processes and ensure we continue to represent our great university and the SEC with class and accountability.’
If Texas A&M is found to violate the policy again, the Aggies will be fined $100,000 and any further violations will result in the suspension of Elko for the next game. Texas A&M stays on the road in Week 9 and travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Tiger Stadium against No. 19 LSU.
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