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The ACC has fined the Syracuse football program $25,000 for its actions during a win over Clemson. The Orange are being punished for their implementation of “unethical” tactics.
Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik hinted at foul play during his postgame press conference. The league confirmed his suspicions two days later.
Clemson hosted Syracuse in Week 4 action as they looked to get back to .500 in ACC play. They failed to do so with the Orange jumping out to a commanding lead.
Syracuse struck first on its way to building a 24-7 first half lead. Clemson tried to battle back but fell short.
Klubnik commented on the offensive production following a 21-point output. He believes the Tigers played relatively well. His opponent, however, prevented the unit from thriving with shady behavior.
Syracuse football was faking injuries.
Klubnik spoke with media members after the loss. He says that every time the Tigers hit a big play, a defender would fall to the ground.
“We were playing with tempo. Props to them, they stopped us on some third downs. At certain times, the have an ‘injury’ or something like that when we really got going.
“That’s up to them if they want to be honest about that. It was definitely tough for us to get in a rhythm.”
-Cade Klubnik
A new NCAA rule has been implemented to put an end to fake injuries. Teams are charged a timeout for stoppages in play after the ball has been lined up.
There is no penalty, however, for stoppages that require medical attention before the ball is spotted, even those that might not be as serious as they appear.
Syracuse exploited the rule. They laid down within the given timeframe in order to slow the Clemson offense’s pace. The conference is now dropping the hammer.
ACC fines Orange for ‘unethical’ actions.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is issuing an institutional fine ($25,000) and public reprimand to Syracuse University for actions by its football team during its game at Clemson on September 20.
With 9:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, Syracuse violated NCAA Football Rule 3-3-6-b, which addresses the feigning of injuries by players, declaring it “unethical and contrary to the spirit of the rules.”
The actions by the two players – especially with the concurrent action by the coach in the team area – were a clear attempt to gain an unmerited advantage by stopping the game in order to secure an injury timeout.
-The ACC
The league cited one particular instance, though Cade Klubnik believes the Syracuse football team was guilty of faking injuries on numerous occasions.
The topic continues to be a focal point in college football. Despite the recent rule changes, it remains an issue. Unfortunately, it is a tough problem to solve without penalizing players actually injured in game play.
We’ll see if the fines change Syracuse’s outlook moving forward.