Former NFL referee Terry McAulay has publicly criticized the NCAA’s strict enforcement of its new injury rule during the recent Georgia Tech-Colorado game, highlighting concerns about the fairness and application of the rule. The NCAA introduced the rule to address instances of players faking injuries to stop the game clock, with penalties for teams that violate the rule. During the game, a Georgia Tech player was seen going down with an injury, prompting medical personnel to check on him. However, Georgia Tech was charged one of their three timeouts due to the stoppage in play, leading McAulay to argue that the enforcement was overly strict.
McAulay noted that the Big 12 Conference officials were particularly strict in their application of the rule, even when the player’s injury appeared genuine. He pointed out that the replay official could have noted the timing of the injury, which occurred before the ball was spotted for the next play, yet the team still faced a timeout penalty. McAulay expressed similar concerns during the Kansas State-Iowa State game, where a player was injured, and the team was penalized despite the injury occurring before the ball was spotted. He emphasized that such rules could unfairly penalize teams that had done nothing wrong, calling the rule ineffective and potentially harmful.
The NCAA’s Football Rules Committee has maintained that the rule is necessary to prevent players from faking injuries, with additional penalties for those found to be doing so, including a mandatory sit-out of one play even if the team is granted a timeout. Despite the controversy, Georgia Tech emerged victorious with a 27-20 win over Colorado. The enforcement of these rules has sparked ongoing debate among officials, players, and fans, with many questioning whether the rule will actually achieve its intended purpose without unfairly punishing legitimate injuries.