# Faking injuries in football. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 18, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611 "2017-09-18T03:36:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/21 "2017-09-20T02:28:06Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > What’s wrong with it is $$$. Currently there are no byes in weeks 1-4 and 12-17, so if you could not play a game on Thursday if you had a game the previous Sunday you would lose 9 (only 9 because you still could have a first week Thursday game). That means the Thursday night package would only have only 7 instead of 16 games. The revenue would be more than halved I assume. The revenue would be halved only if those non-bye week Thursday games were completely eliminated, instead of just playing them on Sunday. I’d guess gate receipts would be better on Sunday afternoons than Thursday nights, and since many of the Thursday night games are shown only on the NFL network, the TV money would probably be better, too. So where’s the revenue loss? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/22 "2017-09-20T05:14:41Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > The revenue would be halved only if those non-bye week Thursday games were completely eliminated, instead of just playing them on Sunday. I’d guess gate receipts would be better on Sunday afternoons than Thursday nights, and since many of the Thursday night games are shown only on the NFL network, the TV money would probably be better, too. So where’s the revenue loss? Gate receipts might be a bit better on Sunday than Thursday night, but gate receipts are only about 15% of NFL revenue. TV receipts are much larger. Only 4 of the Thursday games are exclusive on NFL network. I don’t have the numbers and neither do you, I assume, but I’m quite confident the NFL has done the math and believes that Thursday night football increases their revenue, and not by just a little bit. If they didn’t believe that, I’m sure they’d stop it, as I very much doubt, the teams prefer to play on Thursdays. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/23 "2017-09-20T05:54:45Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > If they didn’t believe that, I’m sure they’d stop it, as I very much doubt, the teams prefer to play on Thursdays. Not only do the teams not prefer to play on Thursdays…but they abhor it. NFL teams have an incredibly regimented weekly calendar during the season, involving preparing the game plan for the upcoming game, and physical therapy and medical attention for injured players – nearly every player is playing with some level of injury over the course of the season, it’s a matter of getting them to the point where they can play despite the injury. A game on anything other than Sunday afternoon throws that schedule off, and a Thursday game is the worst of all for this. Teams don’t get nearly enough time to prepare, compared to normal, and it shows. ---
**Author:** ![JJOHNSON](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/858c86/32.png) [@JJOHNSON](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JJOHNSON)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/24 "2017-10-11T18:58:09Z")
I agree that football players do fake injuries in order to affect the outcome and i also think the idea of sitting out for a possession is a good one. Try to contact the NFL and ask them what they think. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/25 "2017-10-11T19:11:44Z")
> [@JJOHNSON](#): > > I agree that football players do fake injuries in order to affect the outcome and i also think the idea of sitting out for a possession is a good one. Try to contact the NFL and ask them what they think. How do you determine an injury is fake? I know cases where players admitted it later, but they’ll stop doing that if there’s a rule change and even if they admit it later the effect on the game where it happened will remain. That is unless you think the NFL might start changing the outcomes of games after the fact, which is even less likely than a rule change for this problem. Now, if evidence of a faked injury can be found, a team could be fined, players suspended etc., but it sounds like the opening of more ‘\*-gate’ legal controversies. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/26 "2017-10-11T19:18:14Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > In the NFL, in the last two minutes of the half, a team _is_ charged one of its three timeouts if the clock is stopped due to an injured player. I believe they are charged a timeout even if the clock is already stopped due to the previous play being an incomplete pass or ending out-of-bounds. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/27 "2017-10-11T19:31:47Z")
I thought that an NFL team could only play on a Thursday night once in a season, but if I’m not mistaken, the Patriots have already played two. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/28 "2017-10-11T19:41:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > How do you determine an injury is fake? I know cases where players admitted it later, but they’ll stop doing that if there’s a rule change and even if they admit it later the effect on the game where it happened will remain. That is unless you think the NFL might start changing the outcomes of games after the fact, which is even less likely than a rule change for this problem. Now, if evidence of a faked injury can be found, a team could be fined, players suspended etc., but it sounds like the opening of more ‘\*-gate’ legal controversies. I was about to ask the same thing sort of: When a player is supposedly injured, does anyone not employed by that player’s team get to inspect the supposed injury? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/29 "2017-10-11T20:28:55Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I thought that an NFL team could only play on a Thursday night once in a season, but if I’m not mistaken, the Patriots have already played two. The Pats and Chiefs played on the first Thursday of the season, which means no short rest for the majority of players (most starters don’t play in the Week 4 Preseason game). Both the Pats and Chiefs have a second Thursday night game this year which would seem to confirm that the league and teams don’t consider a Week 1 TNF game to be an issue. The same thing happened in 2016 with the Panthers and Broncos playing on TNF in week 1 and again later on. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/30 "2017-10-11T20:32:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I was about to ask the same thing sort of: When a player is supposedly injured, does anyone not employed by that player’s team get to inspect the supposed injury? Concussion protocols are implemented using team doctors and an independent neurological consultant. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/31 "2017-10-11T21:46:00Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Concussion protocols are implemented using team doctors and an independent neurological consultant. Sure, but what about guys who grab their hamstring, then are later seen jumping up and down after the game? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/32 "2017-10-11T23:56:46Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Sure, but what about guys who grab their hamstring, then are later seen jumping up and down after the game? I guess you’ve never gotten a cramp. I had one in my calf this morning, lasted about 5 minutes, 30 minutes later (and 2 glasses of water - too little water usually is the cause) I was fine. And I’m not even a weekend athlete anymore. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/33 "2017-10-12T00:22:05Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I guess you’ve never gotten a cramp. I had one in my calf this morning, lasted about 5 minutes, 30 minutes later (and 2 glasses of water - too little water usually is the cause) I was fine. And I’m not even a weekend athlete anymore. I’m not saying you can tell if an injury is fake. But players have admitted to faking injuries to get timeouts. I’m saying the same thing you are, I don’t believe there’s any way to establish whether a player is faking an injury or not. These guys get pretty damned beat up, you wouldn’t go to work in the condition a lot of them play games in, there is just no way on earth to determine if an injury is real, and we still know that some of them are faked, and I don’t see any practical solution to that. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/34 "2017-10-12T01:23:15Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > The Pats and Chiefs played on the first Thursday of the season, which means no short rest for the majority of players (most starters don’t play in the Week 4 Preseason game). Both the Pats and Chiefs have a second Thursday night game this year which would seem to confirm that the league and teams don’t consider a Week 1 TNF game to be an issue. > > The same thing happened in 2016 with the Panthers and Broncos playing on TNF in week 1 and again later on. Math says you have to. 17 weeks in the season, so 34 teams have to play a TNF game. There’s only 32 teams, so 2 teams get to go again. Best to do it with the teams that start out the season, as like you said, there’s no short week there for them. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/35 "2017-10-12T02:22:52Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I thought that an NFL team could only play on a Thursday night once in a season, but if I’m not mistaken, the Patriots have already played two. The Cowboys have back to back Thursday games this year. And most years. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/36 "2017-10-12T11:28:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > How do you determine an injury is fake? I know cases where players admitted it later, but they’ll stop doing that if there’s a rule change and even if they admit it later the effect on the game where it happened will remain. That is unless you think the NFL might start changing the outcomes of games after the fact, which is even less likely than a rule change for this problem. Now, if evidence of a faked injury can be found, a team could be fined, players suspended etc., but it sounds like the opening of more ‘\*-gate’ legal controversies. For my proposal in the OP, you don’t need to determine if the injury is fake. If the officials have to stop play because a player appears injured, they have to sit out longer than the one play that they do now. If there’s a legitimate injury, this shouldn’t be an issue IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/37 "2017-10-12T15:33:38Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > American football. I don’t know that “one play” has any meaning in soccer. Oh, I thought this was going to be an indictment of what horrible sportsmanship soccer players display. Question, do women’s soccer players roll around and pretend they’re injured as much as the men do? Men’s/boy’s soccer (and Trump) are what is wrong with America today. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/38 "2017-10-12T15:57:58Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > For my proposal in the OP, you don’t need to determine if the injury is fake. If the officials have to stop play because a player appears injured, they have to sit out longer than the one play that they do now. If there’s a legitimate injury, this shouldn’t be an issue IMO. I think that is a pretty good idea. Trouble is it that this often happens on the last couple of plays in a game and the player faking it won’t be crucial anyway since he’s already out for one play. Now if he was out for the rest of the game then at least it might have an effect when OT is a possibility. Another possibility is rewinding the clock 30 seconds if the defense has the injury, or running it 30 seconds or half the time left for the offense. But the offense often is trying to get just one more play anyway, so it wouldn’t have any real impact on that. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/39 "2017-10-12T16:25:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think that is a pretty good idea. Trouble is it that this often happens on the last couple of plays in a game and the player faking it won’t be crucial anyway since he’s already out for one play. Now if he was out for the rest of the game then at least it might have an effect when OT is a possibility. > > Another possibility is rewinding the clock 30 seconds if the defense has the injury, or running it 30 seconds or half the time left for the offense. But the offense often is trying to get just one more play anyway, so it wouldn’t have any real impact on that. But if it’s the last couple of plays in the game, that’s when the injury timeout comes in to play. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611/40 "2017-10-12T16:41:32Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > But if it’s the last couple of plays in the game, that’s when the injury timeout comes in to play. Right. That’s why sitting out extra downs doesn’t make much difference. If it’s the remainder of the game it would have an effect on this at the end of the first half though, but just a few plays isn’t enough to deter the fakers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-injuries-in-football/796611.md?page=3)