The issue of fake injuries in college football became a significant point of contention this season, prompting SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to send a sternly worded memo to league athletic directors in early November condemning the practice. However, on Saturday, in a critical SEC rivalry between Tennessee and Georgia, that controversy appeared to surface again. As the Bulldogs’ offense was driving, Volunteers’ defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott abruptly went down to the ground, prompting boos from the Georgia crowd.
“They’re booing because they think Tennessee might be faking an injury to slow down this momentum,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said on the broadcast. “That wouldn’t happen in the SEC, would it?” play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler responded sarcastically.
Norman-Lott eventually walked off the field under his own power after trainers tended to him on the field during a stoppage in play. Before the game resumed, Fowler and Herbstreit discussed the ongoing controversy, eventually suggesting a possible solution to deter the tactic…