On Friday, the NFL fined Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders $15,000 (and fined the team $35,000) for faking an injury to stop the clock during a game in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It happened in the fourth quarter with just under 6 minutes left in the game. Video of the incident clearly shows Sanders standing in the Steelers huddle, then suddenly, and rather conveniently, coming down with a "cramp". NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth called the move by Sanders a "savvy play" that saved the Steelers from having to use a timeout.
Sanders hopped off the field with the help of Steelers training staff, but after sitting out one play, "miraculously" returned to the game. The dead giveaway that Sanders was faking the injury might have been how he outran his teammates and downed a punt on the play that he returned to the game.
The Steelers are not the first team to pull a stunt like this, and as bad as this incident may have looked, we've seen a lot worse. However, the NFL did the right thing in calling out Sanders, and by slapping the Steelers as a team with the fine, it sends a clear message to other teams that will hopefully discourage this behavior.
Video via.
Related: Two Giants Players Fake Injury at Same Time To Slow Rams No-Huddle Offense (Video)
It happened in the fourth quarter with just under 6 minutes left in the game. Video of the incident clearly shows Sanders standing in the Steelers huddle, then suddenly, and rather conveniently, coming down with a "cramp". NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth called the move by Sanders a "savvy play" that saved the Steelers from having to use a timeout.
Sanders hopped off the field with the help of Steelers training staff, but after sitting out one play, "miraculously" returned to the game. The dead giveaway that Sanders was faking the injury might have been how he outran his teammates and downed a punt on the play that he returned to the game.
The Steelers are not the first team to pull a stunt like this, and as bad as this incident may have looked, we've seen a lot worse. However, the NFL did the right thing in calling out Sanders, and by slapping the Steelers as a team with the fine, it sends a clear message to other teams that will hopefully discourage this behavior.
Video via.
Related: Two Giants Players Fake Injury at Same Time To Slow Rams No-Huddle Offense (Video)
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
