Sending them for a specific number of plays (other than 1) would be difficult? Who would keep track of it? Does it extend over a period change or change of possession? What if a player plays both ways? Or if they also play special teams? I would expect the best solution would be for the remainder of that drive or automatically charge the team with a time out or some combination. The time out option would probably result in 1 or 2 injury-only time outs being added.
The number of really obvious ones are pretty limited. I see players all the time get up after a play and since I'm close to them I can tell they are hurting. I sometimes ask them if they are OK and tell them if they want i will give them an injury time out. If they went down from any camera angle it may look like he's faking. I don't think this is something we want replay getting into.
The one I had that was obvious was when a defense was inside their own 10. They sent in a sub and the replaced player didn't realize immediately he was supposed to leave. He starts running and has a long way to go. The offense is at the line about to snap. About the time they do the player goes down about the 20 but still inside the numbers. We shut the play down because we have a player on the field behind the offense. Back judge was watching him so he knows when the player went down. Line judge is on that team's sideline and clearly hears a coach yell "go down!" With all that information there were probably a few ways we could have handled it. Let the play go and flag them for having 12 on the field. Kill it for a defensive player encroaching on the line of scrimmage or possibly a delay of game. Kill it and grant an injury time out to the defense. Kill it and flag the defensive team for unsportsmanlike conduct for an act that makes a travesty of the game. There was no way we were going to do anything that was going to benefit the defense because it doesn't get that much more obvious. If the coach hadn't said anything and the player did it on his own it wouldn't have been as obvious. But I was standing next to the player talking with him when he realized he was supposed to leave. I was 99.9% positive he wasn't injured. Could he have pulled a hammy trying to run off the field? Maybe. I don't think he had run that fast all game. But he's not getting the benefit of the doubt.
I'm sure there have been other situations where players faked injuries in my games, but it's really hard to detect that on the field.
The number of really obvious ones are pretty limited. I see players all the time get up after a play and since I'm close to them I can tell they are hurting. I sometimes ask them if they are OK and tell them if they want i will give them an injury time out. If they went down from any camera angle it may look like he's faking. I don't think this is something we want replay getting into.
The one I had that was obvious was when a defense was inside their own 10. They sent in a sub and the replaced player didn't realize immediately he was supposed to leave. He starts running and has a long way to go. The offense is at the line about to snap. About the time they do the player goes down about the 20 but still inside the numbers. We shut the play down because we have a player on the field behind the offense. Back judge was watching him so he knows when the player went down. Line judge is on that team's sideline and clearly hears a coach yell "go down!" With all that information there were probably a few ways we could have handled it. Let the play go and flag them for having 12 on the field. Kill it for a defensive player encroaching on the line of scrimmage or possibly a delay of game. Kill it and grant an injury time out to the defense. Kill it and flag the defensive team for unsportsmanlike conduct for an act that makes a travesty of the game. There was no way we were going to do anything that was going to benefit the defense because it doesn't get that much more obvious. If the coach hadn't said anything and the player did it on his own it wouldn't have been as obvious. But I was standing next to the player talking with him when he realized he was supposed to leave. I was 99.9% positive he wasn't injured. Could he have pulled a hammy trying to run off the field? Maybe. I don't think he had run that fast all game. But he's not getting the benefit of the doubt.
I'm sure there have been other situations where players faked injuries in my games, but it's really hard to detect that on the field.
